Comparisons have been made to the slick Sixties sounds of the Shangri-Las and the Ronettes, but that was long before bands such as X, the Clash, Lone Justice (ahh, Maria McKee) and the Runaways came along. Stir them all together into one large melting pot, and serve up this delightful and delicious dish.
From the opening beats of “Click Click (Bang Bang),” you know you’re in for some tasty treats. Sylvain de Muizon’s thunderous bass lines, along with the rat-a-tat thumping by guest drummer Clem Burke (of Blondie fame, not-so-coincidentally) continue the momentum as McGrath cries, “You can’t hurt him cause he really don’t care / you can tell it from his icicle stare” about a dastardly dude with a “Bulletproof Heart.”
The dynamic pace of spunky punkabilly never lets up on Winter Hill, with the majority of the 10 songs written by guitarist Morgan Slade, who doubles as McGrath’s real-life husband (sorry, boys).
Old-fashioned heartache and heartbreak are constant themes, with sad songs such as “Black Tears,” “Tell Me So” and “Death By Desire” (including a “Leader of the Pack”-like spoken intro) providing flashbacks of foolish fights and painful prom nights. (McGrath’s other bandmates, from left, include Ben Shields, drummer Cody James and Morgan Slade.)
The best overall cut, though, might be the male/female, hate-to-love-you/love-to-hate-you standoff in “All the Pretty Things.” In a three-minute brawl as intense as John Doe-vs.-Exene during X’s glory days, McGrath wins by a knockout. In this dueling duet bolstered by guest star Lightnin’ Bill Woodcock’s rapid-fire guitar, she scolds her old man (guest vocalist Sean Wheeler), wailing, “Don’t come on home then babe / See if I still care / But if you decide to come on back / Don’t be surprised to find another man there.”
Miss Derringer began five years ago, and has since added drummer Cory James and guitarist Ben Shields. And while Winter Hill (the title refers to a Sixties gang that started an infamous Irish mob war) is their third album, the timing of its release is perfect.
Get it while it’s hot.
Extras
• See more photos of Miss Derringer in concert in Denver at flickr.com.
• Check out Miss Derringer’s MySpace page and see the video of “Black Tears” from Winter Hill below:
Article comments
1 - ashley
Enjoyed your review as I enjoyed this band and yes they do seem to be a mix of the Ronettes, Lone Justice and X..and they seem to make it work.