The Donnas Albums (7)
What The Critics Say
It's hard not to think that "bitchin'" has been used to describe the Donnas' music many a time, so it's an appropriate enough title for their seventh album. At the very least, it has a better ring than The Donnas Turn 27, but that might have been a more truthful summation of this record, because advanced age is beginning to hit the band big time. What was once snappy and energetic is turning a little bit heavier and sludgier, a sure sign of high mileage, and that's all the more evident because the band is doing the same thing it always has: turning out party anthems -- party anthems that are seeming a little less ironic each time around. It's hard to call this a holding pattern since the Donnas never, ever aspired to art, but this isn't quite like the Ramones, where the signature sound revealed new wrinkles along the way. This is more like the band is pounding out new tunes every two or three years whether it needs to or not. Working bands are always appreciated, but it's hard not to wish that there was a little more joie de vivre on Bitchin'. After all, if you're gonna be a party band, the least you can be is fun, something that used to come easily to the Donnas but now is a struggle on this maddeningly uneven album. When the Donnas indulge in their fetish for '80s metal -- whether it's on the Judas Priest pulse of "Wasted," the Def Leppard lifts on "Save Me," the arena-filling thump of "Here for the Party" and "Smoke You Out," or even "Don't Wait Up for Me," which comes close to ripping off the riff to "Don't You Wanna Touch Me" from Joan Jett, their biggest influence -- they fulfill the trashy promise of their title, but this doesn't happen often enough. The problem is, the Donnas once rocked as if they were tanked to the gills but they now sound like they're playing with ferocious hangovers they just can't shake -- and it's hard to have a good party if the threat of the morning after hangs over the whole affair. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Following 2002's spitfire release Spend the Night, the Donnas return with a different drive on Gold Medal. Their earliest releases clung tightly to the Ramones' ethic of three power chords and a chunky rhythm, while Spend the Night riffed on tough and punchy Kiss licks and Cheap Trick-esque super pop, but Gold Medal veers yet again, heading into '70s psychedelia, hinting at a more introspective and melodic feel. A quieter, gentler Donnas? Yeah, kinda. Vocals run through vintage effects, swirling wah-wah riffs, chiming acoustic guitar, and laid-back vocals all give the music a more restrained and casual feel -- as if the band is less aggressive, less impulsive, and less "rawk." The first single, "Fall Behind Me," is one of the few that hark back to their older sound: a heavy harmonic riff (almost reminiscent of the Cult), double-tracked vocals, and a guitar solo by Donna R. (Allison Robertson) that would make Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham grin. The familiarity ends there, as the other songs sound alternately like Suzi Quatro covering Foghat's "Slow Ride" or actually kind of like the Shangri-Las after smoking down with the Foo Fighters. The album's unexpected highlight is the quirky title track, a choogling shuffle with a freight-train boogie and an acoustic-guitar-vs.-piano break in place of the usual electric guitar solo. As unexpected as that sounds, it fits better than any of the other hybrid "hard rock guitar"/"laid-back vocals" song experiments on the album. It appears as though former guitarist Brett Anderson (aka Donna A., natch) has decided to concentrate solely on vocals (with a few piano contributions), which leaves some space in the sound and makes the full-on assault of the previous Donnas records an impossibility. Still, it could be argued that what they lack in "wall of sound" noise attack they've made up for in nuance; the basslines have never been more intricate, tambourines and handclaps come in at all the right times, and the whole album sports the most terrific production of any Donnas record to date. There was something charming in their (metaphorical) balls-to-the-wall embrace of late-'70s party rock that is missing on Gold Medal -- the teenage gang has grown more mature, and while they've gained some in-depth musical insight, they've lost a little of the leather-jacketed spark that fans have grown accustomed to. While this release shows real growth, one questions if that's what Donnaholics are looking for. It is possible that this album will eventually be seen as the transition away from the cute punk-pop of their previous recordings and a bridge into the more elaborate, more mature work that they demonstrate on the album's spectacular title track. ~ Zac Johnson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Fuller and more thought-out than their previous releases, the Donnas' Spend the Night furthers the band's evolution from their "what if the Ramones were chicks" vibe into a really cohesive hard rock band. The straightforward lyrics still revolve around "Tonight we're gonna party," "Let's get high in the backseat of my car," and "I'm gonna steal you away from your girl," but using these tried-and-true rock & roll themes with the Donnas' equally simple song structures, their sound and message achieve a kind of rock purity that seems miles away from all of the Britneys and Christina Aguileras out there. Their allegiance to the sound of simplistic party rock bands that were around in the late '70s/early '80s (Kiss, Cheap Trick, Mötley Crüe) joins forces with the snarl of the tough girl groups of that same era (Blondie, the Pretenders, Joan Jett) in a way that hasn't been heard on a major label in at least a decade. Special recognition deserves to go to guitarist Donna R./Allison Robertson whose Ace Frehley fascination used to be cute and now sounds as though it has erupted into a full-blown obsession, but somehow she still manages to put a heavier Southern rock/Angus Young spin on the riffs, demonstrating a real attention to craft that wouldn't have even occurred to them on their 1998 debut. Despite all of this maturity, Spend the Night ain't no Mantovani; the perpetually teenaged foursome still have their raw edges and sharp teeth, it's just that the edges rip deeper and the teeth bite harder with this more efficient and well-crafted rock assault. ~ Zac Johnson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On The Donnas Turn 21 the girls are now old enough to drink but a little too old for Barely Legal. The girls do their best to seem crazy -- screwing police officers, wearing hot pants, dissing critics that gave them bad reviews, huffing and binge-drinking, giving midnight blowjobs, covering Judas Priest, and giving props to Cheech, Chong, and Schlitz. Then, there's the sound itself, which is less Ramones than retooled Runaways. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It took almost no time for the Donnas to become an underground rock sensation, favorites of punk scenesters and journalists. Almost overnight, the teen quartet released its debut, graduated from high school, and then started popping up in the most unlikely places, including the Rose McGowan teen flick Jawbreaker. It wasn't exactly like they were omnipresent, but the Donnas certainly were primed to break into the major leagues with their second set of Ramones-styled punk-pop, Get Skintight. Stylistically, there is no change from the debut, but Get Skintight does boast a better, catchier set of songs and a ferocious group of performances. The Donnas are undeniably good -- they have the songs and the hooks, a great attitude, and a great look -- but there's something a little strange about a group of teens hero-worshipping music that was made before their birth. It could be argued that the Ramones did the same thing, but not only did they build on music from their youth, they bent the rules. The Ramones were ironic postmodernists, twisting around bubblegum, surf, and teen pop with campy glee. It made their music vibrant and unpredictable and deep, while still being pure fun. The Donnas, in turn, play by the rules the Ramones wrote with their debut album, without any irony or camp -- it's straight-ahead party music, with no apologies. It's the primary difference between the two groups, what separates a good party band from a transcendent one. Ultimately, such criticisms seem like quibbling, because Get Skintight isn't meant as anything other than a great punk party record, which is exactly what it is. But that difference is why listeners raised on old-school punk may find the album a little off. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Donnas' self-titled debut album presents the girls as the most convincing Ramones ripoff band ever. Song titles like "Get Rid of That Girl," "I Don't Want to Go to School," and "Teenage Runaway" should make this painfully obvious. Their three-chord punk songs have an innocent sound that is upended, as most of their lyrics consist of tales of teenage rebellion ("I Don't Wanna Go" and "Get Rid of That Girl") and drug use ("Huff All Night," "Everybody's Smoking Cheeba," and "Friday Fun"). What makes this slight record so much fun is the tempo of the music, the lo-fidelity recording, and high-school cheerleader backing vocals that give the songs a "rah-rah" excitement. Like most complaints about the Ramones, all of the songs on The Donnas sound the same -- but at least it's a good song. ~ Brian Flota, All Music Guide
'American Teenage Rock 'n' Roll Machine'
Release Date 1/27/1998
Tracks 10
Label Lookout
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Chris Lee, the lead singer of a '70s-minded, AC/DC-influenced hard rock/metal band called Supagroup, had an excellent point when he asserted that even though there has been plenty of "rock music" in the '90s and 2000s, there hasn't been nearly as much rock & roll -- that party music (a big part of the '60s, '70s, and '80s) often takes a back seat to introspection in the post-Nevermind climate of alternative rock. In the '90s and 2000s, the Donnas have (like Supagroup) done their part to fill that void by providing trashy, decadent, punky, sex-crazed hard rock with a strong late-'70s/early-'80s influence -- and they've done it without the slightest trace of irony. American Teenage Rock & Roll Machine, the band's second full-length album, is far from groundbreaking; in fact, this 1998 release is consistently mindful of the hard rock that the Runaways were providing 22 years earlier (before the Donnas were even born). And while the Runaways were quite revolutionary for their time, the Donnas are merely derivative. But they're enjoyably derivative, and hedonistic tunes like "Speed Demon" and "Leather on Leather" offer something that wasn't terribly easy to find in 1998 -- dirty, beer-soaked, hooky rock & roll party music. There is nothing even remotely introspective about the Donnas, who thrive on the old-school sex/drugs/rock & roll clichés of their parents' generation and sound like they're totally oblivious to post-grunge or emo. Although generally decent, this isn't their best release; on 2002's Spend the Night, the Donnas sound sharper, crisper, and more focused. Nonetheless, American Teenage Rock & Roll Machine has more ups than downs -- and again, the CD helped fill a void by demonstrating that in 1998, there was still a place for wild, reckless fun in the rock world. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
