The release of Sinners marks 25 years since Joan Jett's break-out single "I Love Rock-N-Roll" soared up the charts, but she was by no means an overnight success. The single and record by the same name came on the heels of the dissolution of her first group, The Runaways. The band was an all-woman, pre-punk, rock hard group. But isn't that what comes to mind when you think of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts? With her dark eye-liner and leather outfits, she not only gives the impression of but she is one of the rare "women who can really rock."
Sinner is no exception. The voice is a bit more mature. The lyrics are from someone a bit older and wiser and come from a place a little deeper, but the songs still just plain rock out. She hasn't missed a beat and the music hasn't softened, which is probably why she is a headlining act on the current Vans Warped Tour.
Jett demonstrates those mature lyrics right off the bat with the opening track, "Riddles." The song has a political, anti-war, if not anti-Bush, message. From the opening chords and vocals you will recognize it as Joan Jett; it has a retro sound that is unmistakably hers. The song asks the question why politicians speak in riddles, and includes sound-bytes from news reports between the howls of the guitar and hand-claps.
The cover of Sweet's "A.C.D.C." is fun, hook filled, and melodious. The video which is garnering air-play on MTV, VH1, and Fuse, as well as being available on both Google Video and Youtube, features Carmen Electra. The actress, who was ecstatic to play the role of Jett's lover, admitted to a childhood crush on the singer. In that same vein of pushing and pressing against sexual limitations are "Androgynous," "Fetish," and "Everyone Knows."
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