“These girls can shred!”
Released by Red Vixen Records on 11 November 2016 and reviewed by Angie K
Bruce Dickinson, apparently, said: “These girls can shred!” Fair enough, they can. They are four girls calling themselves JOANovARC. The name itself provokes associations with revolution – not totally unjustified, as their music does sound rebellious, passionate and powerful. Apparently, they have also earned themselves the title of being “one of the UK’s most promising rock acts… and exceptional is not too strong a word” – owing to their active touring activity and highly energetic shows.
This is where I would actually say… I am not too sure. Yes, they know how to play and yes, their debut album, Ride Of Your Life, is pretty much immaculate. A bit too immaculate, though, too perfect and commercial. Credit given where due: they know how to compose good songs, come up with catchy tunes and generally create good rock. Somehow, though, I fail to see the originality of it. To me this sounds like yet another girls’ rock band. Enthusiastic? Definitely. Good melodies? Yup. And that’s it to me. Beyond that I am struggling to keep focus. Their promotional materials advertise them as varied and diverse, while this is not quite how they came across to me. If I didn’t have to write this review, I would have probably either listened to a couple of tracks and lost interest, or would have just briefly re-winded the CD to get the idea of what the songs are about.
Still, their music is good. It is actually pretty damn good for newcomers, and in all fairness my objective observation has got to conclude that the band sounds very promising. These girls have the potential to go far. I hope they do, as not many female acts can boast such professionalism. Their CD is energetic and gives you that feel good mood. Their tunes are sharp and well composed. I can see this being aired on a national level or going viral (in fact, they have already been on Planet Rock). What makes the band particularly attractive is their simplicity. They carry the spirit of classical hard rock and rock’n’roll, while not forgetting the imminent ballads (‘Five Years’ and ‘Peace Of Mind’). Which sounds, I know, rather stereotypical. But at least it is good.
7 out of 10
Track list:
- Ride Of Your Life
- Dragon In The Sky
- White Trash
- Seeds Of Summer
- Live Rock N Roll
- Going Down
- Five Years
- Running Away
- Work
- Sisters
- Peace Of Mind
