VICKY AND THE VENGENTS - A NEW DAWN (self-released)

Click the above album image to visit the band's myspace page, hear streams, to learn how to purchase this CD.

The opening words to Vicky & The Vengents "About" section on their myspace page reads "Every so often a group comes along that transcends a genre. One that mixes the nostalgia of a Rock & Roll era gone by."  That is quite a buildup and high decree to uphold. Reading such a boast could make one assume the world is ready to discover the next Detroit Cobras or Bellrays.

A New Dawn is the debut CD from Vicky Tafoya and her collaboration with SoCal garage/punk/surf band The Vengents. Once heralded as the "Queen of L.A. R&B"", Vicky is working a much harder rock'n'roll style that her pipes previously haven't had too much experience with. She is definitely a strong vocalist, taking some of the most powerful elements from both Ronnie Spector and Joan Jett.  But when I first heard Tafoya push her vocal chords to exceed the decibels of loud beats and heavily distorted guitar on this CD, I realized that this R&B-meets-punk partnership will take a few rounds to get used to. At times this album sounds like an imaginary "Ronnie Spector Meets The Descendents" experiment, which on paper actually sounds intriguing.

For an album filled with three-minute pop blasts, the songwriting gets a A+ as each of these ten tracks are catchy and easy to sing along too. At times I question if guitarist Matt Beld is genuinely writing in a key that compliments Vicky's voice the best. And, if the key is right, are the guitars too loud and abrasive in the mix to notice. Vicky & The Vengents are nothing to snuff out of your iPod playlist quite yet, but it make take the band's 2nd album to truly see their potential.

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