Fifteen Will Get You Twenty



			Name of Product: "Fifteen Will Get You Twenty" CD Band: Canada's all-girl band Live On Release. Label: Her Royal Majesty's Records Websites: http://www.liveonrelease.com Price: $12.99 Reviewer: Jennifer Rowe
			"Fifteen will get you Twenty" is the latest 5 song EP release from the young all-girl "alternative/rock" group Live On Release from Vancouver, Canada. The debut single, "I'm afraid of Britney Spears" has been frequently aired on Much Music (Canada's answer to MTV), and is currently being played on more than 20 US college radio stations. The irony of the song "I'm Afraid of Britney Spears" is that Live On Release, with their polished studio tunes and poppy melodies, sound more like Britney and Chrtistina Aguilera than they'd ever care to admit. It's a mark of the abundant popularity of artists such as Back Street Boys and NSync that they're integrity ("They're so worried about what we'll think, they took the time to learn to lip sync") is brought into question by other musicians. I've never been a big fan of artists putting other artists down in an attempt at self progression but the song is pleasant, the lyrics are catchy and the band has said that the song is merely a tongue-in-cheek stab at the lack of performers presently on the charts who write and play their own music - "We don't hate Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera. But if the media doesn't stop calling POP singers "the Women of Rock" then this could change." The second of the five tracks, Emotional Griptape, stands out as the most original and solid song on the CD. The vocals ring true without being overemotional and the interesting harmonies throughout the chorus take the song to another level. The guitar distortion serves to drive the song, rather than merely being a tool to prove that Live On Release is a rock band and not a pop band as evidenced in the third track, where the heavily distorted guitar overrides the vocals and spoils the track. At 4:24, the song is also about a minute too long. The fourth track, Johnny Johnny, is a solid rock track with a strong back beat and track five, Don't Leave Me Alone, serves to higlight the vocal range of the singers. But again the stinging guitar distortion seems at odds with the general tone of the music - guitar distortion does not maketh the rock band! Live On Release, whose members have yet to climb out of their teens, already have a dedicated following in Canada and as their music continues to be played on US college radio and national and regional video channels, their dedicated US following will no doubt be close behind. Their upcoming (currently untitled) album will be released in Canada in early April and in the US in Early May 2003. ----------------------------------------------------- Drummergirl Competition - Closes Feb 28th 2003 The folks at TKO Entertainment Corp and Her Royal Majesty's Records have kindly given us an extra copy of "Fifteen will get you Twenty" to give away to a lucky Drummergirl reader. As additional prizes, we also have a smooth set of Silver Fox J/RX rock sticks* with black nylon tips and three smaller prizes of ProMark Collector's Edition CDs featuring drummers such as Paul Wertico and Elvin Jones and Ludwig, Vic Firth, Pro Mark and Mapex stickers. To enter, email competition@drummergirl.com, and include the answer to the following question: Q. How many tracks are on the Live On Release CD "Fifteen will get you Twenty"? Please only submit one entry - duplicate entries will both be deleted. The competition is open to anyone who takes the time to enter! Your email address will not be used for any other purposes and will be deleted at the close of the competition (Friday 28th Feb, 2003). If you're a winner, you will be emailed, asking for a snail mail address for your prize. © 2003 Happy Mazza Media, LLC.