Suzanne Fellini
The growing ranks of young women doing the New Rock have a new member. Fellini's music is diamond-hard, benefiting from both minimal instrumentation and slick production. Her voice is immensely energetic (turning "phone" into a four-syllable word), and she is propelled by tight, crunching backup, notably guitarist Sid McGinnis and drummer Barry Lazarowitz. Lyrically she is savvy, and she wrote all of the tunes, most with keyboardist/arranger Jeff Waxman. I'm a Rock is a driving number about "wearin' wheels at the heels of my shoes." Love on the Phone has a quintessential New Wave intensity: "It's so hard when I'm feelin' on fire/And all I can hold is the telephone wire." In Permanent Damage, the album's best cut, Fellini's voice soars above a pop-rock mix of guitars, harmonies and rhythm lines. A New Yorker, Fellini can also tenderize tunes, as on Something's Over and Give Me the Light, both affecting In one chorus, she sings, "Check him out, he's a double take." So's she. Check her out.
Your Reaction
