Search - Blackeyed Susan :: Electric Rattlebone

Britny Fox's Dean Davidson's Rock 'N' Roll roots

Ali Khan | London | 03/08/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After 2 Albums as the founder, lead singer/songwriter & rhythm guitarist with Britny Fox "DizzY" Dean Davidson decided he wanted get to a more Bluesy Rock sound and Sing more naturally (Britny Fox's first 2 CDs have an AC/DC style rasp). I always felt it a shame he ditched the BF name as it was based on one his own Welsh ancestors (True Fact readers!) and it was HIS band.

However once I heard this CD and the 3rd Britny Fox Album with new Singer Tommy Paris (Bite Down Hard) I feel the right decision was made.

If anyone has mentioned comparisons between Cinderella's Night Songs and the Britny Fox sound they are valid - but this does not sound like the Blues direction Tom Keifer and CO. took.

Think Black Crowes, Rolling Stones and to a lesser extent Aerosmith for the flavor of this album.

"None of it matters" was the single and while it shows off his vocals to some extent it did not set the hard rock world alight.

"Best of Friends" is a ballad that shows Davidson's singing is more emotive then his previous raspy ballads with Britny Fox.

This is a decent CD in its own right but nothing really grabs my attention in the way Britny Fox did. I was initially dissappointed with this CD as Britny Fox were my Fave HARD Glam Band at the time, but now I can appreciate it on its own merits - but I don't really play it that often.

On the other hand I still play ALL my Britny Fox CDs - especially "Bite Down Hard" and the Debut."

Overlooked second band from Britny Fox's vocalist

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 06/13/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Philly-based rockers Blackeyed Susan was formed after vocalist Dean Davidson unpleasantly split from the successful hair metal band Britny Fox. Moving away somewhat from Britny Fox's AC/DC meets Cinderella hair metal sound, Blackeyed Susan took a much bluesy approach. The songs on their 1991 debut Electric Rattlebone are soulful and have a southern swing, giving them a bit more impact than the usual lipstick & spandex hair metal offering. The overall sound is quite similar to what Cinderella was doing with Heartbreak Station, and you can hear the influence of bands like the Stones and early Aerosmith. It also helps that Davidson has largely abandoned the raspy vocal style he used with Britny Fox. His cleaner vocals work particularly well in this setting.



Overall (and despite the dumb title) Electric Rattlebone is good hard rock album that should appeal to hard rock and hair metal fans in general and Britny Fox fans in particular. I loved Britny Fox growing up, but I have to admit this is a better album than anything that band released. "None of It Matters" in particular was a great tune that should have been a decent hit, but it never really caught on (Open Skyz tried it later with similar results).



Unfortunately, Electric Rattlebone was the band's only offering. The band lost the backing of their label during the early 90's grunge onslaught, and like so many of their peers, could not tough it out through the drastically changed musical climate."