DH Records
2007
Humanimals
About This Album
When Kristin Gundred, the lead vocalist of Grand Ole Party, lets loose with one of her primal blues wails, strong men salivate and weak crawl, as Gundred herself boasts on "Look Out Young Son," the opening track of Humanimals. "I must be the devil's daughter," she sings in a sexy, no holds barred tone, before declaring "Look out young son, when I bloom you'll come a crawlin'." Grand Ole Party are what used to be called a power trio: Gundred on vocals and drums, dropping a basic solid heart-thumping groove; Mike Kerchnyak keeping the beat moving forward with his propulsive basslines; and Paul Labno on guitar alternating between short tasty lead lines and clanging funky comped chords. There isn't a trace of indie rock pretense or any art rock poses, just solid blues-based tunes, driven by Labno's ability to add dramatic guitar flourishes that impress without overwhelming the arrangements and Gundred's voice, a one in a million howl that calls to mind everyone from Mae West to Bessie Smith, Grace Slick, and of course, Janis Joplin. And while she does possess Joplin's ability to send chills down your spine, her voice is smoother and lighter, although it can still slash like a razor.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9)

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