Published on Jul 16, 1999
My, my, my, how our little girls are growing up.
The Donnas, an all-female punk-rock quartet, have improved upon
both their playing and their songwriting for their third
full-length release,
Get Skintight. The band sounds tighter than they did on
American Teenage Rock ‘N Roll Machine, their previous
effort, and they now sound like a band that is one step away from
the mainstream.
Donna R.’s lead guitar licks now sound much more confident,
making solo time a true pleasure to listen to. Lead vocalist Donna
A. also has a new air of confidence to her, so when she delivers a
line like, “Baby you’re so sweet I got a toothache” (from
“Skintight”), it sounds natural rather than comical as it might
have before. Donna C.’s drum work, as before, is solid. One minus –
I still would like to hear the bass playing of Donna F. brought
higher up into the mix.
As for the music on
Get Skintight, if you ever thought of writing these young
ladies off as a novelty act, this album will change your mind
forever. Sure, the tracks have a lot to do with the activities of a
young person’s life (“You Don’t Wanna Call,” “Party Action,” “Get
Outta My Room”), but frankly, it’s more believable coming from
young adults that it would, say, from Motley Crue. Speaking of the
Crue, The Donnas pay homage to the band with their cover of “Too
Fast For Love” – and they nail it better than Vince Neil
himself.
What also helps The Donnas on
Get Skintight is the production of Redd Kross members Jeff
and Steve McDonald, who capture the band’s sound perfectly. Coming
from their own alternative music background, they seem like the
perfect candidates to bring the sound of The Donnas into its own –
which they do with flying colors.
The only negative with
Get Skintight is that the formula of teen angst and carefree
life starts to wear a little thin at the end on songs like “Zero”
and “Well Done”. Normally, I’d be mentioning that the album could
have been longer, clocking in at 38 minutes; but in the case of
Get Skintight, the band seems to know they’re running low on
gas.
What makes
Get Skintight a special listen is that you can almost expect
to hear some of these songs on the radio, meaning that The Donnas,
if given the right breaks, could become the next Green Day. (It’s a
suitable comparison, seeing that Green Day once was on the same
label.) Chances are the two obstacles the band will face are
skepticism (no matter what I say, there will still be people who
will think of The Donnas as a novelty act, and that’s too bad) and
changing musical tastes – namely, if some program directors think
that the California punk revolution is over. (With the success of
recent works by bands like The Offspring, I don’t think that will
be a problem.)
Get Skintight is a marked improvement for The Donnas, proof
that another year of experience has helped mold their musical
vision into something special. Already garnering some significant
press, this could well be the year that the band makes their big
break. If not, they’re right at the edge of stardom.