Every now and again a band sneaks up on you and gives you a real surprise. JOANOVARC are one of those bands.They caught my attention completely by accident. Such was the impression they made, getting the album was a must. With bands like this, there will always be comparisons to the likes of THE RUNAWAYS, GIRLSCHOOL and THE DONNAS and whilst there are nods towards those bands, there is a lot more on offer here.
Title track and opener RIDE OF YOUR LIFE is a superb polished slab of melodic rock there’s a beefy riff and catchy and singalong chorus that stays in your head long after the track finishes. DRAGON IN THE SKY kicks off with a dirty sounding and guttural bass pounding to it and a bouncing beat to it, and it comes with another catchy chorus that will stick with you just as fast.
WHITE TRASH has been played a lot on PLANET ROCK radio, and it contains some fantastic drumming and a fine solo by SHELLEY WALKER that will make this a real favourite. SEEDS OF SUMMER has SAM WALKER singing in a more melodic range with a harder edge behind it and LIVE ROCK `N` ROLL is a no-nonsense, heads down, see you at the end belter of a track.
Deeper in GOING DOWN has a slightly bluesy/swing beat to it which makes for very interesting listening and is an interesting addition here. FIVE YEARS is another laid back and bluesy track, showcasing the bands versatility. RUNNING AWAY shows the brilliance of the band as a unit. There are more beautiful vocals and the rest work as a fine back up showing that even when the style varies, the quaility and power is still there.
As we draw to a close WORK is a fantastic pice of up-tempo, feel-good music with a wonderful bass line to back it up. SISTERS has quality running all through it – a fantastic melody that will stay with you. Sadly all good things must come to an end and the album comes with PIECE OF MIND: it’s a wonderful way to end things. There’s another stunning vocal performance, pounding drums which lead into an impressive
and effective guitar solo.
This is a hugely promising debut album. Joanovarc show here that they can certainly mix it up, playing the heavier stuff one minute, then the softer and more melodic the next. If they can stay together and not fall by the way side like other bands before them and sadly like THUNDERMOTHER and CRUCIFIED BARBARA seem to have, then they could be right up there. They work as a tight unit brilliantly. If you want fantastic musicianship, very impressive vocals, and an album full of variety power and melody, this could be a wonderful discovery.
4/5
