ROSETTA WEST
X Descendant (Alive)
Reviewed by Holly Day

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This is cool, if not for the sole reason that there's something ominous and dangerous about the way this sounds despite being pretty straight-forward electric garage rock blues. There's just this overtone of self-destructive energy that runs through the disc, invoking images of a Darby Crash-like personality fronting this band. Joseph Demagore's vocals are fabulous and weird, kind of strained and breathless and on the brink of desperation or maybe just passing out - which gives it miles more sincerity and true back-porch-blues energy than most of the white boy electric blues that I get in the mail anymore - and his guitar work is simple and straight-forward and nails the job right on the head.

© 2005 - Holly Day