Published on Mar 7, 2002
As a general rule I spend considerable time happily stuck in a
mid-70’s prog rock box. So how does someone a little more current
pull me out of my self induced musical slumber?
Well, you gotta get naked. Bif Naked that is Someone with talent
and something to say will always get my attention; and the
intriguing Ms. Naked has both.
Based in Vancouver B.C. Canada (wedged in between Alaska and the
rest of the Excited States) here is a female Rocker with her own
record label whose name, “Her Royal Majesty’s Records”, accurately
conveys Bifs musical take on her rightful place in her universe.
Self esteem is not something that Ms. Naked seems to have a problem
with.
After spending most of the early 90’s working with various punk
bands and finding that musically limiting (apparently they wouldn’t
let her sing about her period… go figure!?) she moved into solo
mode in 1994.
Purge, released in Canada in September of 2001, is her
latest venture. An eclectic mix of slick power rock entrees
peppered with a few lighter (…think Lisa Loeb meets Joan Jett…)
tunes. Ms. Naked is quite obviously aiming for a much more
mainstream style. Add in a couple of very well done ballads which
employ a much softer musical style and this CD pretty much covers
all the bases.
At the center of this musical pizza is the rockin’ “I Love
Myself Today”. A true grrrl power anthem that you can use to pull
your teenage daughter out of the slimy clutches of Britney and the
other pre-fab clones; or use it to bolster her crushed ego (teenage
boys being 99.94% pond scum it is only a matter of time before she
HAS a crushed ego). The production values are top notch and Bif
puts her voice to the test, moving from conversational tone to a
gravelly, throat ripping roar. Basically an “I don’t need your crap
anymore!” scream at the male gender, this song is fairly indicative
of the general feel of the whole cd. One wonders what emotional
sledge hammer has pummeled this much anger from her slight, if well
muscled, form.
Early fans of this punk/power/pop combination may be wondering
if Bif has compromised her musical style on the alter of mainstream
acceptance ($$$$). It’s a personal call but my opinion would be
that yes she has, but there is a fine line between compromise and
growth. There will be some gnashing of teeth and mumbled whispers
of sellout and the re-mixed version of “I Love Myself Today” is
best left unreviewed…. but the rest of the cd is a powerful blast
of well controlled high energy vocals coupled with some substantial
bass and guitar work. The cd grows on you. There is substance in
the lyrics and feeling in the art that is Bifs music. At least it
begins to make amends for Canada inflicting Nelly Furtado on the
States. We are really dreadfully sorry about that and if you send
her back up here we will try to keep her from getting out
again.
The second single released from this CD up here in the Great
White North is “Leader”. Slightly more of a return to a ‘punk’
style, this is still a Rock tune and daughter number one thinks
it’s an even more rockin’ tune than “I Love Myself Today”. Could
be… although the very pop oriented “Tango Shoes” might have been
a better choice for a continued assault on the mainstream media;
it’s got more hooks in it than a bass on the first day of fishing
season.
The future looks bright for Ms. Naked, she’s cool, she’s calm,
she’s gonna be ok.