At just 20 years old, life couldn't be much better for one Taylor Momsen. The Missouri born performer found fame from an early age, appearing alongside JIM CAREY in the hit Christmas movie “The Grinch” back in 2000, before finding further fame in the teen show “Gossip Girl”. However, as it happens, the young actress had ambitions beyond being on screen. A lover of rock ‘n’ roll, she formed THE PRETTY RECKLESS, and in 2010, released their breakthrough album “Light Me Up”. It was well received, and singles such as “Make Me Wanna Die” achieved commercial success ensuring the band were hot property, but there was always the nagging thought that, maybe, just maybe, this was just a passing fancy. A project used to boost the fame of Momsen between acting roles, but, that wasn't to be the case. 2014 see’s TPR return with a new line-up for the release of album number two, “Going To Hell”.
The album starts off rather randomly, with sirens being heard over what’s clearly a young lady enjoying herself…which is all I'm going to say about that… before it all kicks off with some pleasant riff’s and assertive drumming in “Follow Me Down”. It’s not heavy but it’s got a classic feel to it, dirty leather and denim rock ‘n’ roll provide perfect backing to Momsen’s vocal drawl. It’s a decent track spoiled by an unnecessary and rather cringe-worthy intro.
The title track, “Going To Hell” keeps up with the same dirty rock vibe, the vocals a little grittier and the track as a whole packs a bit more punch, with more arrogance and bluster, while “Heaven Knows” in places sounds fitting for military training; you can easily imagine marching to this. It’s got a, certain simplicity to it, a slow, steady beat, gang vocals…minimalistic but effective.
“House On A Hill” is far more delicate, a primarily acoustic number backed with big string sections, Momsen, just like on the album cover itself, sounds naked and exposed, vulnerable even. It’s a powerful song full of emotion and an album highlight. The second half of the album has its highlights too, with tracks such as “Blame Me” and “Fucked Up World”, before closing on the country inspired “Waiting For A Friend”, less a parting shot, more of a peace offering.
On one hand it’s great to see The Pretty Reckless stick at it and that the band wasn’t just a half-hearted idea, they’ve recorded some strong tracks and have been on some impressive tours, including festival slots, and slowly but surely fans of rock and metal are seeing that Momsen is taking all of this seriously, and that the band are doing everything by the book. Granted, her fame boosted the popularity of the band from the start, and some people maybe unimpressed with that, but their songs are all original and they haven’t really taken any short-cuts. It’s not going to win any album of the year awards, but there is progression evident here; worth a listen. [7]
Download: "Going To Hell", "House On A Hill", "Sweet Things"
The album is available now on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/going-to-hell-deluxe-version/id804096710
The album starts off rather randomly, with sirens being heard over what’s clearly a young lady enjoying herself…which is all I'm going to say about that… before it all kicks off with some pleasant riff’s and assertive drumming in “Follow Me Down”. It’s not heavy but it’s got a classic feel to it, dirty leather and denim rock ‘n’ roll provide perfect backing to Momsen’s vocal drawl. It’s a decent track spoiled by an unnecessary and rather cringe-worthy intro.
The title track, “Going To Hell” keeps up with the same dirty rock vibe, the vocals a little grittier and the track as a whole packs a bit more punch, with more arrogance and bluster, while “Heaven Knows” in places sounds fitting for military training; you can easily imagine marching to this. It’s got a, certain simplicity to it, a slow, steady beat, gang vocals…minimalistic but effective.
“House On A Hill” is far more delicate, a primarily acoustic number backed with big string sections, Momsen, just like on the album cover itself, sounds naked and exposed, vulnerable even. It’s a powerful song full of emotion and an album highlight. The second half of the album has its highlights too, with tracks such as “Blame Me” and “Fucked Up World”, before closing on the country inspired “Waiting For A Friend”, less a parting shot, more of a peace offering.
On one hand it’s great to see The Pretty Reckless stick at it and that the band wasn’t just a half-hearted idea, they’ve recorded some strong tracks and have been on some impressive tours, including festival slots, and slowly but surely fans of rock and metal are seeing that Momsen is taking all of this seriously, and that the band are doing everything by the book. Granted, her fame boosted the popularity of the band from the start, and some people maybe unimpressed with that, but their songs are all original and they haven’t really taken any short-cuts. It’s not going to win any album of the year awards, but there is progression evident here; worth a listen. [7]
Download: "Going To Hell", "House On A Hill", "Sweet Things"
The album is available now on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/going-to-hell-deluxe-version/id804096710
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