Concrete Blonde - Free

A sophmore effort by Concrete Blonde and worth the wait. The premise of the first album is paid off with more dark and pop derivative landscapes as in their Still in Hollywood effort. The band expands its lineup and fills out their 3 piece band. A great effort by a woefully underappreciated band.

Review by Tom Demalon

Concrete Blonde beefed up their lineup by adding bassist Alan Bloch for 1989's Free. Like their self-titled debut release, the L.A.-based band focus on the dark side of modern life, but they also intersperse a few lighter songs into the mix with good results. Free also found the group producing themselves. The grinding guitars and lead singer Johnette Napolitano's passionate vocals made the searing "God Is a Bullet" a college radio hit. "Roses Grow" is an interesting track with Napolitano making barstool observations over a metallic drumbeat. It's the lighter moments on the album that really shine, though, like the gentle warmth of the optimistic "Sun" and "Happy Birthday," a jangly pop-rocker. The band also take a stab at Thin Lizzy's "It's Only Money." Free shows a considerable amount of growth in both the songwriting and playing of their debut and makes it a worthwhile follow-up.

Ripped to MP3

1 - God Is a Bullet

2 - Run Run Run

3 - It's Only Money

4 - Help Me

5 - Sun

6 - Roses Grow

7 - Scene of a Perfect Crime

8 - Happy Birthday

9 - Little Conversations

10 - Carry Me Away