Customer Reviews

Kiss & Tell

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

If you have an Ipod or mini disc, don't get it!
It is duplication protected!
I only listen to music on my mini-disc player,
and I'm sitting here with a useless cd.
I've bought and paid for all three Sahara Hotnights cds.
The people who PAY for stuff are being punished now!
I had no warning...

Sahara Hotnights is protecting their music? Give me a break, they should WANT people to spread their music, maybe more people will go to their shows. I'm sorry, I don't care how good a cd is, when you have to use their software to play their music, then F them. This RIAA paranoia about so called music piracy is a joke. There's no call for this. If I can't load my music onto my mp3 player its worthless to me.

Sahara Hotnights goes much poppier on their newest release. I really liked the harder edge they had on "Jennie Bomb" (not that this band is ever "heavy" but Jennie Bomb had more energy to it without a slow track on the bunch). This record starts off pretty good with a pop-punk sound (which i normally hate) that seems to sound better when chicks are doing it than guys. It's catchy and definite sing a long songs with some keyboards that they never used before. The keyboards sound a little bit like an afterthought but arent overly distracting. They just sound like they arent really a part of the song. The last 3 songs get a bit slower in pace, not to the point of being ballads, but they are slower-mid tempo tunes that sort of lost my interest. The first half of the record I would rate a solid 4, the last half about a 2.5 so i'm giving it a 3.5 out of 5. A good record if you liked their previous 2 but i'd recommend "Jennie Bomb (the deluxe version with extra songs)" before getting this one.

Sahara Hotnights is one of the best looking bands. They have been part of the Swedish rock scene for a few years now. Their previous album made some waves in America. Kiss & Tell is more new wave sounding. There are some keyboard sounds on "Who Do You Dance For?" that brings you back to 1982. Songs like "Hot Night Crash" and "Empty Heart" show this hard rocking band at their best, with an injection of a Cars-like vibe. The album doesn't shock and vibrate. After repeated listening, you can tell how smart and cool it is. It is a brave step forward. "Stay/Stay Away" is a song that maybe that they couldn't have written years ago. They are mature and they have cool riffs. Maria Anderson is one of the best frontwomen in rock. Sahara Hotnights are a great live band too.

I've had this cd for awhile, but finally got around to a review....and I need not say anything besides- This cd rocks. Literally, it rocks...just give it a spin and you'll love it...and if not, go back to the stone you live under and stay there!

I was really curious what these girls would come up with, after their fantastic album, Jennie bomb. When I first listened to this album, I was a bit disappointed. But I gave it a few tries, and now I'm totally stuck! I just can't stop listen to this cd. You'll be mad to miss this!

This album is really rocks; it has better production than the first. However, potential buyers should be aware that this disc is copy controlled, which may affect play. While it plays on my home CD player, it does not play on either my Walkman, car stereo or computer, and it is impossible to put the tracks on your iPod. When I tried to take it back, I was told that the copy control technology prevents it from being played on certain types of CD players. Be warned!

I believe in admitting bias as a writer. With this goal in mind, I need to admit something that makes me a bit uncomfortable in terms of my musical taste. That fact is this - strap a guitar to a good looking woman cranking out some power pop and I'm pretty much in love.

Growing up in Detroit, I was raised in the cult of the girl groups from Motown. I think it started there. By the time I hit high school, I found the Go-Go's, the Bangles, the Pretenders, and the Plasmatics, and my taste was solidified by Belinda, Wendy O., Chrissie, and Susanna. As is true in many ways, I've not outgrown my tastes from my younger days. So, when exposed to the four young Swedish women who play it fast and hard, you can expect that I'd be smitten. I am.

I had heard their earlier work, and found it to be somewhat thin. C'mon Let's Pretend and Jennie Bomb had their moments, but ultimately, something was lacking. The sound had potential, but was somehow too raw, too simplistic, too Shonen Knife without the irony. Well, Maria Andersson has learned to growl, and the musicianship and music have matured on their latest release, Kiss & Tell.

The single "Hot Night Crash" rips with intensity, but adds a new found comfort with pop elements that allows the Hotnights to craft a highly-charged piece that shows the maturation of a band. "Stupid Tricks" shows their ability to lay a solid groove that shows off the voice of lead vocalist Maria. She's learned to play with her inflection to communicate a range of emotions, and you can literally hear a young woman finding her voice, and her growl.

Kiss & Tell is no classic, just a solid effort from a band that was being dismissed by many for many reasons - girls can't play, Swedes can't play (unless they're the Hives), or they're not the Donnas. This might not be their breakthrough in terms of larger success, but they're showing the ability to grow as musicians and this CD might just mark the turning point for a group that deserves attention for more than the simple novelty of being an all-girl Swedish power pop quartet.

P.S. There are ways around the copy protection that seems to have everyone's panties in a bunch. Copy to a music program such as Music Match, burn it, then transfer that to your I-Pod. Sure it's an extra step, but they're trying to work things out with Apple. Until then, get creative.

Over a year ago, I wrote a short blurb about "Jennie Bomb", and that the record basically was OK, but I got the impression they were GONNA be great.
Well, this is a step in that direction. The songs are better, the production is better...everything overall is better.
Yes, there are a few clunkers in here. You get the feeling that these are a bunch of talented teenagers who have recently picked up their individual instruments and are rapidly becoming (but not yet) proficient.
One song has a three-note guitar lick that made me laugh, as if somebody just stuck it in at the last minute, and it stuck.
And that's important. It made me laugh. It made me smile. It made me bop my head around while driving.
This is not some deep, profound record. It's a party.
Don't over-analyze this. Just sample some of the first few songs on the record, and if you like it, get it!
They're getting better each record...

The album is OK but, the copy protection is terrible. When I place the CD in any drive and try to listen it resets my computer. I also have an expensive Bose portable CD player. It does not recognize this as a CD. So be warned MAY NOT WORK in your player! No help from Sony, RCA or BMG.