Search - 4 Non Blondes :: Bigger, Better, Faster, More!

A powerhouse of awesome rock

bayareakirk | Bay Area, CA | 07/21/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I feel like I found a gem in the haystack of one-shot albums. This is a high quality recording with great sound to match the powerful lyrics, vocals!!, and instruments (drums and guitar are ripping). There is one ballad, but mostly high energy music with each song distinctly it's own and literally giving you "Bigger, Better, Faster, More!". It's sad there is not "More!" albums from this band, but I sure am happy I found this album."

No Joke

Steven Haarala | Mandeville, LA USA | 07/24/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"What do you get if you cross blues, folk, rock, pop and funk? Answer: this album. I know it sounds preposterous, but this is the most accomplished product of "borrowing" that I have ever heard. The tracks are formed from an eclectic variety of musical elements. For instance, "Train" sounds like Southern blues-rock (it actually reminds me of the theme song from HBO's vampire series "True Blood") with some Red Hot Chili Peppers funk thrown in. More Chili Peppers can be heard in "Superfly", "No Place Like Home" and "Calling All The People". "Pleasantly Blue" has a riff reminiscent of both "Tobacco Road" and Bowie's "Jean Genie", then morphs into a little Stray Cats style. The hit, "What's Up", is to me a great neo-hippie song with vague social observations; and there's more of that in the power ballad "Dear Mr. President". "Morphine & Chocolate" is slow blues about addictive crutches. "Spaceman" is like a folky, fantasy take on Velvet Underground. In "Old Mr. Heffer", you can hear both Elvis and CCR. "Drifting" is a really pretty but "shouted" acoustic, angsty ballad with strings.



So, what ties all this together? Singer-songwriter Linda Perry, of course. Her voice is strong and exuberant, and her persona radiates confidence, good will and sly, intelligent humor, making this album a more than adequate artistic statement. Too bad it was the only one the band made."