Why do people insist on labeling all-female bands, all-female bands? The Beatles are never referred to as “The all-male, rock band, The Beatles”. Of course I don’t want to write a two thousand word essay on misogyny in the music industry just as much you probably don’t feel like reading one. Especially since this is a review for People Talk, the 2014 album from Oslo Norway’s, all female rock band The Cocktail Slippers (ugh I just did it, didn’t I?).
It pains me to say it, but it’s true: girl bands are usually played up as some sort of make-shift novelty. Make no mistake, there have been PLENTY of extremely talented rock bands featuring only girls in the line up, but for some reason, the world just can’t accept the fact that women can rock just as hard and sometimes even harder than men. Without trying to sound sexist, try explaining a band like Fanny or The Runaways to someone WITHOUT mentioning the line up. Difficult isn’t it? It’s almost like we are programmed to generalize. By not mentioning that aspect of a band, they are just like every other band regardless of gender. Even though that’s the way it should be, it just seems odd looking at it that way doesn’t it? There is a certain expectation that comes with an all-female rock band; being they are played up as a novelty, they have to play novelty songs. I can’t imagine The Bangles ever gaining any sort of mainstream pop appeal without the help from “Walk Like An Egyptian” and that just makes me sad.
All sexism aside, The Cocktail Slippers are a pretty solid band. Nothing ground breaking or revolutionary, but they aren’t really trying to be either. People Talk isn’t a game changer that will tear down the stereotypical walls enforced my the masses, it’s just a handful of simple, yet effective rock n roll songs. Actually, it might be a little too far on the safe side for it’s own good.
The opening track “Show ‘Em Good” is the best example of the good and bad that this album has to offer. It’s equal parts fun and cliché. All within it’s lean three minute run time, we’re graced with every single pop-rock cliché in the book, from early 60s hand clap beats, to the “C’mon girls!!” lead singer-to-band call out after a sugary sweet keyboard bridge. That’s not a bad thing, I love that stuff! You can’t beat hand claps in a pop song. It’s scientifically proven, but it all just sounds like pandering. Even the chorus hook “Don’t let anybody dictate you! Don’t let anybody tell you what to do!” just screams the tired old standard subject matter of ‘just be yourself’ that’s better suited for High School Musical than a rock n roll record.
The very next song “Shame On Me” makes up for it though. Clearly the strongest track on People Talk and obvious choice for a single, channels more punk era Deborah Harry than early 60s R&B that just about everyone expects from all female rock bands (I really gotta stop bringing that up). The stride continues on the medium tempo, 80s inspired “Sleepless” but comes to a screeching halt with “48 Hours (And We’ve Only Just Begun)” which sounds like a combination of the first three songs. Then there is the obligatory acoustic ballad “Castle In The Sand”. It’s a welcomed change of pace for sure but if MTV was still a thing, this song would be the third single that has a music video made up of tour bus footage, dressing room antics, and shots of the lead singer melancholically looking out the bus window watching the rain fall on the interstate.
The biggest flaw with People Talk is production. Just like their previous album, Soul Salvation of Love it’s produced by Little Steven (that’s Steven Van Zandt to all you milk drinking, going to bed at 8pm, squares out there) which could be more of a hindrance than assistance. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of Little Steven, I would absolutely love to meet him in person and just pick his brain to hear his thoughts on any musical subject. His satellite channel “Little Steven’s Underground Garage” is one of the few reasons why I have a paid subscription to XM Radio. We share a lot of the same musical views, and he seems like an all around awesome guy that the music industry needs more of, but for a guy who claims to have an undying love for all things retro rock n roll, he has a tendency to over produce anything he touches in the studio. I don’t want to sound nitpicky (if you’ve made it this far into this review, you are probably cool with that) but the vocals are not only a bit too close in the mix, drowning out the bass and guitar, but they come off ice cold and emotionless in about seventy five percent of the entire album. Maybe the singer is hiding her Norwegian accent, but it sounds like the by product of a producer insisting on perfect pronunciation.
It may seem like I dislike People Talk and that’s just not true! It’s a solid album by a group of talented people who adore classic rock n roll, harmonies, and the sweetness that only power pop provides, but I can’t shake the feeling that some of these songs were played over and over in the studio until every single note and nuance was pitch perfect. Rock n roll isn’t about being perfect, it’s about expression for better or worse. There’s no doubt in my mind that the home made demos for People Talk or at least the first-takes, sound way better than the finished product. “Shame On Me” gets really close to hitting the nail on the head and that shows me that somewhere beneath all of the digital compression and five thousand takes, there is a dirty, rough around the edges rock record that The Cocktail Slippers probably wanted to make. It’s not a bad album at all, just very safe and middle of the road. If you are looking for a simple, retro rock n roll album, clean enough for mixed company, you’ve got yourself a solid album. But if you like your rock n roll to put it’s money where it’s mouth is, you are probably better off seeing these lovely ladies at a live show, far far away from a multi-million dollar, state of the art recording studio.
Rating: 3.75/5