psst. pass it on...

ok yall, i got the new gossip record, music for men, and i've listened to it about a billion times this week so i feel i'm ready to tell you that...IT ROCKS! seriously - you know when on american idol simon or randy are always talking about how the kids need to make the older songs feel current? adam lambert excluded, few can actually do it. really, artists that are really talented rarely get the job done. the gossip hits it hard, 80's style on this record. this record is what would happen if beth, hannah and nathan got into a delorian and traveled back to 1984. not sure if that's what they were going for, but it's exactly how i feel when i hear 'four letter word.' it has to be the one cut i can't wait to hear. [it's at the end of the record, so i anxiously await it.] the lead off 'dime store diamond' is funky and slow but it rocks all at the same time. the single, 'heavy cross' is good but definitely not the one i'd chose to try and "sell" to the radio - this is their major label debut and for god's sake, rick rubin produced it! i chose not to read any real reviews before i heard it and i'm glad i did. the thing i dig about the gossip is that they haven't copied anyone - they are uniquely the gossip. it's unusual these days not to hear a band or artist and say, oh, they remind me of [insert band here] it's where blues and "indie rock" collide. beth ditto is probably the best front woman of any band since frickin' debbie harry or chrissy hynde. i saw the gossip rock at the great american music hall in san francisco opening for s-k and the second she walked on stage i was like what????!!!! she was at least 100 pounds overweight and rockin the most awesome lingerie and garter. i was skeptical to say the least. when she started belting out the most authentic blues voices ever heard in "indie rock" i was captivated. she danced and sweat and sang her little heart out. the whole place was dancing to a band they had never heard of to songs they've never heard. mostly because beth ordered it. she even made carrie, corin and janet dance. it was like some crazy dance party someone throws in their basement. beth lives close by to the restaurant i work at and she's a regular customer. she has been nothing but lovely to each and every one of us and all the new hires that come from other restaurants around know her too and love her as well. we aren't shy about telling her how much we love the gossip. she says they won't be playing portland until fall - that's okay it will give me more time to listen to music for men a gazillion more times!