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Perris Records is going to have a platinum artist sooner or later.
It’s going to happen. They plan on releasing upwards of 32
CDs in 2005, so the odds are just there. Plus, the quality of their
music has been consistently on the rise over the past few years.
While Enuff Z’Nuff is the star on the Perris crown, there
are a ton of bands with the potential to sell a load of CDs, and
Mad Margritt is one of those bands.
Mad
Margritt’s new release, Straight Through the Heart,
has every damn thing you’d want in a true ’80s sounding
CD. The huge melodies, the soaring choruses, the sleaziness, the
energy, everything bereft in modern music is here. Singer and band
leader Eddie Smith has a Sebastian Bach edge to his voice at times,
but the coolest part about Smith is that he knows what he can and
cannot do. So you don’t hear him reaching for notes he shouldn’t
be, although his range is formidable.
(The
band is named such because in Smith’s former band, the lead
singer had “lead singer disease,” meaning he was an
arse of the highest order. Whenever he acted like he had a bad case
of pussitis, the band referred to him as “Mad Margritt.”
When Smith left that band, and decided to step out from the guitar
and sing in a new band, the former band member laughed about it,
so Smith decided to honor his “friend” by calling the
band Mad Margritt. Who’s laughing now? But don‘t worry,
they‘ve since made up …)
The
CD starts with “Anyway (That You Want Me).” This has
a sort of a Poison vibe to it, except Smith’s range isn’t
limited like Bret Michaels’. The rhythm guitars are simple,
sort of groovy, and the song itself is just bare-bones and effective.
Not their best, but good.
“One
Look In Your Eyes,” slows things down a bit, sounding somewhat
like Warrant at the beginning, and after a couple of sung lines
they crank it back up. The harmonies during the chorus are superb,
the guitars here take more chances, and while it sounds like something
you’ve heard before, it also sounds like something you want
to hear again and again.
Power
ballads are passé. No one does them anymore. They are antiquated.
Guess what; Mad Margritt doesn’t give a rip. “Goodbye,”
is exactly the kind of song we used to turn down the lights on and
scream at the top of our lungs. Smith has the kind of voice you
think you can sing along with, until you try, and then you realize
he’s quite a talent. While sappy lyrics are the norm on this
sort of track, it doesn’t lessen the efficacy. Good power
ballads rule.
Not
a band to record many covers, they decided to work in “Midnight
Rendezvous,” a John Waite (The Baby’s) song. It perfectly
fits the flow of the album, and if you don’t remember the
song, you’ll think it’s theirs.
The
best song here is the title, though, “Straight Through the
Heart.” You’ll hear a semi-Bon Jovi structure to the
tune, some Hurricane as well because of the smoothness of Smith’s
delivery, but by now, it’s Mad Margritt. This song was originally
released on Hollywood Hairspray III. This song has ripping
solos, an a cappella section, a little more intelligent lyrics,
a somewhat darker tone, and just an overall more aggressive feel
than most of the CD. You can tell they put their heart into this
one, especially when Smith just wails at the end. Pick up the CD
for this track, alone.
These
guys have a chance to make some major waves, so don’t be afraid
to pick up the CD now, so when they are huge in a year or so, you’ll
know at least 10 of their songs by heart. (Well, 9 anyway; one of
these tracks is an instrumental ...)
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