Devil in a Lambskin Suit

Awake and Alert | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 11, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Five One Inc
• ASIN: B000U6YJU6
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,107,494 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The full-length debut by Arizona alt-rockers Awake and Alert harks back to the mid-'90s, when a wave of female-led bands traded in a blend of 4AD-style dream pop moodiness and the more assertive, guitar-driven anthems of vintage U2. The songs ... Full Descriptiontend toward the midtempo and minor key, but they're uniformly melodic, and the best, like the surging "Ready or Not" and the dreamy jangle-shimmer of "Let Autumn Lift Me," are immediately catchy. Maya Peart's dramatic vocals -- think of the Cranberries' Dolores O'Riordan minus the trills and at a slightly lower, smokier pitch -- are front and center throughout the album, and they're strong enough to let most listeners overlook the fact that most of the lyrics are vaguely poetic enough to be basically meaningless. One major exception comes with the album's strongest song, the clear-minded "Starry-Eyed Visions," an assertive, positive lyric married to the album's most memorable tune and spirited performance. An album's worth of songs at that high level of quality would be hard to beat, but Devil in a Lambskin Suit suffers a bit from the usual travails of the debut album: unimaginative arrangements that make the songs sound a bit more samey than they really are, a certain tendency to remind listeners of earlier, similar bands, that sort of thing. There is definite potential here, however.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic new indie band, October 12, 2007

By 

T. Plummer (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Devil in a Lambskin Suit (Audio CD)

Music: 7/10 Vocals: 5/5 Lyrics: 4/5 Production: 4/5

Total: 20 of 25: B+

Awake and Alert is a fantastic new indie band out of Arizona. Maya Peart fronts the band. She has a tremendous voice. Soulful yet ethereal. Powerful yet beautiful. She is a true talent that hopefully will have a long and successful career.

The rest of the band is good but not fantastic. They do much more than a typical backup band of a Norah Jones or Fiona Apple. But they're not quite a stand alone band either. They provide a very diverse canvas for Maya to sing upon. It ranges from dark and brooding to cinematic and even an occasion at rock.

Being a relatively new band, I see a few junior mistakes. There are definitely hooks in the music and lyrics. But too often it all meanders a bit. All the songs sort of blur together until the hook in most of them hits and then you remember the song. Hopefully they will all find their way on their 2nd album.

The lyrics are mostly personal of relationships gone wrong. Nothing trite and most of the lyrics are original.

One of the highlights is the vastly beautiful "Let Autumn Lift Me". It is a great showcase of Maya's vocal talents. The title track is a nice rocker for the band. Finally, "Hollow Bodies" provides some very memorable music and a great vocal hook in the chorus. These are the three that stand out the most but everything else is good. There are no clunkers on this album.

Given the music industry is in shambles right now, I wouldn't be surprised if this band never sees the real light of day. Especially since they are not mainstream. But, they do deserve better. Hopefully they will get some airplay and be given the opportunity to mature over the next several years. Do yourself a favor and get on board with Awake and Alert.