Album of the Day-May 4

Concrete Blonde — Concrete Blonde

Concrete Blonde — Concrete Blonde

Concrete Blonde — Concrete Blonde

4.May.202
Concrete Blonde
Concrete Blonde
1986

After signing to I.R.S. Records, and wanting to drop the name Dream 6, label mate Michael Stipe of R.E.M. suggested the name Concrete Blonde because of the contrast of their sound and lyrics. It’s appropriate.

The band was built around singer and bassist Johnette Napolitano and guitarist James Mankey but soon added drummer Harry Rushakoff for the recording of this first record.

The self-titled debut explores different genres allowing Johnette Napolitano to put her distinctive vocal impression on everything from acoustic ballads to puck foot stompers.

A simple mid-tempo rocker, “True”, opens the album and shifts into an almost psycho rockabilly number “Your Haunted Head” to the dreamy “Dance Along the Edge” and into the albums first single, the punk “Still in Hollywood”. The band even felt comfortable enough to plant their flag on George Harrison’s “Beware of the Darkness”.

For my money, one of the most gut-wrenching love songs is “Make Me Cry”, so simple…so sad. If you’ve never felt what Napolitano is singing about, then you’ve never been in love…and had you’re heart broken.

Concrete Blonde was produced by guitarist James Mankey’s brother Earl Mankey. Napolitano was the principal songwriter and her songs, at least on this debut album, don’t require too much sonic texture and Mankey has the intelligence to not add any.

The band fumbled along and eventually found some success but never the success that they deserved. Johnette Napolitano is a singular, unique talent and this debut album offers up the range of what she had to offer.

Admittedly, the album is a little all over the place, but I find that works to its advantage. I suspect I am in the minority on that. However, if you like distinctive female vocalists and a band with serious chops, Concrete Blonde is a pretty damn good place to start.