First things first - the pink has nothing to do with a dainty or pop rock sound in Black Earth's sophomore, Pink Champagne. What listeners will encounter is crushing guitar riffs, gritty vocals and superfluous drums. What listeners will also find is a CD chalked full of finely-produced tracks capable of bringing down the house on any given night. This CD is killer.
The opening track "Dear Lady Lean" has it all - vocals that sound like the singer had whiskey, cigarettes and burnt toast for breakfast, the guitarist that smashed Led Zeppelin and Lynyrd Skynyrd records into one and a drummer that has the attitude of Motley Crue's Tommy Lee mashed with the timing of seasoned, yet subtle Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Chad Smith. As if that weren't enough, this song has the makings to make fans of Kings of Leon weep with envy. What a great song to push down the gates! "Dear" has this Southern charm to it, an old school 70s rocker breath and an oh-so-cool guitar riff.
Track two, "Face Down in the Gutter," turns it up a notch. This song was the least favorite of this writer. It just didn't have the flare and core rock sound like "Dear Lady Lean." It's a heavier rock and the speed percussion took away the soul of the song. This is the only bad song on the entire album - because it's just okay.
Spellbinding Guitar
Track three "Her Song" brings it all back for this writer. Strangely enough, fans of The Cult's "She Sells Sanctuary" might like this tune. They just have to think less 80s punk and more core rock. "Livin and Lovin" is aggressive and sweaty as it sounds. Again, that spellbinding guitar fights alongside a bleeding percussion presentation. The guitar riff at times sounds like a screeching car muffler. This writer dares the listener to not bang their head back and forth listening to "Livin."
And it just keeps getting better--"My Private Hell" unleashes a drum blitzkrieg with pounding lyrics. "No Way Back" (track six) touts a wider vocal range and still incorporates that crushing guitar and percussion combo. The title track (track seven) slows it down a bit - and has a bit acoustic guitar. Fans of The Black Crowes might like this charming tune.
Overall CD Review is A++
Overall, Pink Champagne gets an A++. Yes, that's two pluses at the end of that A. Trying not to sound repetitive here, but the combustible guitar riffs, memorable drumming and gritty vocals showcase a band capable of making their mark in the hard rock and blues rock annals. Fans of The Black Crowes, Kings of Leon, Ten Years After, Blues Traveler and Johnny Winter should make a point to listen to Black Earth's Pink Champagne.
Melissa Kucirek - Melissa L. Kucirek M.A. University of Nebraska - Omaha (2004) B.A. University of Nebraska - Omaha (2001) I'm a freelance writer ...
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