Joan Jett And The Blackhearts - Unvarnished

Here is what I thought of Joan Jett and The Blackhearts' new album, “Unvarnished.” Remember – all scores are out of a possible 10 points.

Full disclosure: I am a HUGE Joan Jett fan.

“Any Weather (606 Version)” - A solid rock track. The chorus is fun and got me singing. This is what I love about Joan Jett – her music might not always be super slick and overly produced, but it is real and makes me happy. This track fed my soul. Score: 9

“TMI” - This track had me from the opening drum beats. A kick ass, ballsy rhythm and a deep groove got me rocking. The lyrics are not the greatest, but Joan's vocals are pure heaven. Score: 7

“Soulmates To Strangers” - Oh girl, we have all been there. I wonder who Joan wrote this song about. The lyrics were better on this track, but I love the vulnerability of Joan's vocals. Don't get me wrong, she's tough, but the vocals were slightly less tough than normal – I like it. Score: 8

“Make It Back” - This is vintage Joan Jett. Solid rock melody, fast and fun lyrics, and a kick ass attitude. I loved everything about this track. Score: 10

“Hard To Grow Up” - This is my least favorite track thus far. The music is fine and all, but the vocals didn't sit well with me nor did the lyrics. The lyrics seemed juvenile and quite frankly beneath Joan. Score: 4

“Fragile” - There is so much I love about this song. I love the reflective lyrics, Joan's vulnerable but still very much rock and roll vocals, and the epic sound of the track. This is a highlight track. Score: 10

“Reality Mentality” - This is another fun track. The music is straightforward rock and roll and Joan is serving kick ass vocals. Once again, I just have a problem with the lyrics – they just come off a bit silly. But Joan does her magic and makes this track work. Score: 7

“Bad As We Can Be” - This track is so '80 and I am enjoying every moment. This song transports me back to North County and Jamestown Mall. I was wearing my Chuckie T's and tight rolled jeans - life was good then. This song embodies all those good memories. Oh and it just rocks. Score: 9

“Different” - Hmmmm – I just really didn't care for this song. It just kind of dragged and was – and I hang my head as I say this – boring. I did like the drums – they reminded me of “Do You Wanna Touch Me”. Score: 3

“Everybody Needs A Hero” - I am going to act like this track didn't even happen. I...don't.....um...wow. I am going to listen to “Make It Back” again to clear my musical palette. Score: 0

Average Track Score: 6.7 Would I recommend this to my friends? ABSOLUTELY. But you bet your sweet rock and roll ass that I am going to warn them about the last two songs.

Escalader,

Jim