Jezebel Moon ~ CD Review

Review of Jezebel Moon's debut CD Premonition
By: Carolina Vegas Starr

Take Blondie, The Tom Tom Club, Casey Scott and Mötley Crüe and throw them in a room and what have you got? Jezebel Moon. Add a dash of Mary's Danish a hint of Belly a pinch of The Sugarcubes and some Blues Saraceno for good measure and you have their debut CD - PREMONITION. Jezebel Moon is a band that's hard to define and that's what keeps them real and keeps them sassy and PREMONITION is a true Epicurean delight!!! A fixture and favorite of the New Haven nightlife, Jezebel Moon's stage energy transforms well into a tight-knit recorded format without losing its effectiveness and influence on the listener. Live or Memorex - you'll still want to Gloria Estefan and "Get on your feet..." Well, in a much hipper way.

The Wanted Dead Or Alive-esque intro of the first track - "Life Is Drivin Me Crazy" - quickly changes gear into a true in-crowd summer anthem of gusto and horns. The song, indicative of the CD itself, is full of surprises. Remnants of classic rock, pop and swing riffs intertwined with unique spins and emotional vocals, rat-tat-tat and ringing choruses push the all-original material to the top of it's class.

PREMONITION, a kind of "Get on with your life" tribute combines triumph, turmoil and totally cool!

Alterna-smooth vocal harmonies and clever guitar mixing bring a Luscious Jackson mood to "Karmically Connected" - definitely a radio hit.

Diamonds and Rust meets Torn with humor while losing some misery in the process of getting "Found".

"My Salvation" echoes The Sundays with a boppy Lisa Loeb flavoring and the title track's "Put em on...put em on...put em on me" - like Sinead vocal twang and Bad Company undercurrent is sure to get even the casual fan grooving.

Do I dare mention that a little Diana Ross comes to light in the "Upside down keep turning me, inside out" kind of rhythm backed by something of a Mighty Mighty Bosstones single in the fun-loving "Angel's Night."

Other songs include the flamenco inspired, Sadé channeling of "Changing Me." Look out for the racy "Naked Sound" and it's primal scream therapy - you have to crank it!

The CD wraps-up nicely with all the hauntings of "Perception" - a Night Ranger song for a new generation, "Motoring..." and a bohemian rhapsody plea for freedom and redemption in "Release Me."

Don't hate them because they're beautiful -

Jezebel Moon live and feel their music and PREMONITION is far from a corporate byproduct.

'Percussion Kin-Pin' Kevin Bobko and Beat-Master Paula Walsh, (who makes a guest appearance on tracks 4 & 10) keep perfect time with Stacey's bass playing as Denise's vocals take the wheel of the Jezebel Moon bus. Sarah Nolan's guitar playing adds spice and slither to every song on the CD and the smooth jazz of Tina's sax and vocal style brings you right to the front row of a smoky café on Bleecker Street. Go out and get PREMONITION ...and as for the days of the mediocre girl band - it's all over now baby blue!