Genre - Hard Rock / Pop / Punk? / Rock
Label - Pledge Music
Track listing:
01 - Good Guys
02 - Without Emotion (written by Ginger Wildheart)
03 - TV Is King (The Tubes cover)
04 - Seven Day Summer
05 - Darlin' (Danny Frye cover)
06 - More Beautiful Than Before
07 - Dirty (written by and featuring Willie Dowling of Honeycrack / Jackdaw4)
08 - Penny Arcade
09 - The Chauffeur (Duran Duran cover)
10 - I Did It Again
11 - Everyday (Slade cover)
12 - Thieveing From The Magpies Nest
After hearing Givvi's numerous contributions to other artists music such as Ginger Wildheart, Jackdaw4 and more rercently Random Jon Poole's solo album, I was really looking forward to hearing just what this little lady with a huge voice from the Midlands could deliver on her debut album. I was not dissapointed. Opening with the brilliant Good Guys with its thin Lizzy meets New World Order riffage the album gets off to a great start. Following quickly is Without Emotion, a great song writtn by Ginger Wildheart and donated for this release.
"I sang on the original demo of this song when Ginger wrote it back in 2010. If my memory serves me correctly, it was put together very quickly by Ginger and Jase Edwards and I arrived one Sunday to do my thing and buggered afterwards. True to his word, Ginger let me have the song for my album (as he had flippantly promised at the time) when I asked. I am eternally grateful off soon."
The song has a typical Ginger feel to it, and Givvi delivers a fantastic vocal performance, (although to be honest the entire band do a fantastic job throught the album!) defininetley a favourite for me.
Next up is the cover of The Tubes classic, TV is King, an enjoyable enough track but in my opinion not as strong as the previous two. Seven Day Summer follows, a songs that sees Givvi duet with guitarist Jay Clark, a solid song a quick return to the standards set by the albums two opening tracks.
Darlin' is a cover of a song by Danny Frye, a good old fashioned rock 'n' roller of a track that sees a nice change in both pace and tempo, another great song. "
Danny Frye did rock ‘n’ roll in a dirty, sexy, Cleveland punk way and I loved the ‘Hellbent’ album (still do). He also had the most glorious voice and I wish I’d had the chance to sing with him. Sadly, he was taken from the world on July 12th 2003 and I only knew him very briefly. This song is full of Danny’s wicked sense of humour and it’s been a pleasure to remember him during the recording process. RIP Danny, this one’s for you x"
Givvi and the gang follow this up with the wonderful More Beautiful Than Before, which has a
delightfully venomous feel to it and a truly wicked guitar solo!
Next up is the wonderful little track Dirty, written by the one and only Mr Willie Dowling of Jackdaw4, Honeycrack, The Grip, Sugar Plum Farries fame. Dirty brings another change in both style and pace proving that this album has plenty of variety!
" I just had to record this – it was definitely the final piece of the jigsaw. And who wouldn’t want a Dowling original on their CD?! When I heard the demo, I couldn’t stop singing it. I have learned that if you don’t ask, you don’t get. As you now know, I asked :). Big love and huge thanks to Willie for not only letting me have the track, but for being kind enough to play and sing on it too. That’s right, THE man is on HIS track on MY album. I love that sentence."
The wonderful Penny Arcade follows proving to be yet another great track and leading nicely into The Chauffeur, a cover of the Duran Duran err pop classic? Well to be fair Givvi and the guys turn in a truly great performance turning this song, which apparently was the first song Givvi ever recorded many years ago with her father, into a monster of a track.
We then get to I Did It Again with its fun Rolling Stones esque riff, a grteat song that quickens the pace again and brings a cheerful element of fun back to precedings!
Everyday, a Slade cover is the albums penultimate track, a great atmospheric track that slows things down a little but is awesome non the less!
"
I tend to go for unconventional voices and Noddy Holder has got to be the king of shoutycrackers! What a noise! Slade wrote so many amazing songs that it was difficult to choose one but the sentiment in this is lovely – something I’d struggle to write myself. As you may know, I’m quite good at the shoutycrackers myself so I thought this would make a nice addition. Technically, this is the album ballad."
The albums closer is also the albums awesome title track, the wonderful Thieveing From The Magpies Nest, a great rocker with its lyrical seemingly poking fun at the Xfactoe culture. A great way to close a truly wonderful (and long over due) debut album from the massivly talented Givvi Flynn.
"
Inspired (I think) by an Elvis Costello ballad, Jay wrote the bridges to this first then he and I finished it during a couple of studio sessions. With Eli’s help, this track has turned into a monster! So much so that we have given the middle section its own title (Part II – To Hell and Bacharach). Many folks have told me I should go on X Factor. I shouldn’t. This is why."
Very, Very Highly Reconmended!!!!!!!!
Rating 11/10
Album credits -
Givvi Flynn – All lead vocals, backing vocals, button monkeying, engineering, general pushing &.
Jay shoving Clark – Guitars, bass, programming, vocals on ‘Seven Day Summer’ and ‘More Beauty Than Before’, backing vocals, production, engineering, piano on ‘Penny Arcade’.
Eli Cameron – Piano, backing vocals, programming, keys, video editing, production, engineering.
Willie Dowling – Vocals, keys and additional guitars on ‘Dirty’.
James Wall – Backing vocals on ‘I Did It Again’ and ‘TV is King’, photography, filming, salad logistics, photobombing.
Brandon ‘Bradderz’ Clark – Additional Guitars on ‘Penny Arcade’.
Lord Percy Scandal – Logistics manager, online presence, Pledge Music liason, admin and TFTMN photography.
