CD Review: Black Pussy - On Blonde

Written by Dan Savoie

The debut CD from Portland, Oregon's Black Pussy is comically titled On Blonde, but that’s pretty much where the humour ends. The punchy six-track release is heavily influenced by several 70s hard rockers and sounds a bit like the Ace Frehley KISS solo album mixed with The Ramones Rocket To Russia, but with a bit of extra crunch along the lines of Nirvana Nevermind. The band went through some changes in 2010, including a new musical direction, which has resulted in an authentic and daring album.
The first track, Marijuana, kicks off the album much like Rip It Out leads off the KISS guitarist's first LP, with a big beat, distorted guitar and familiar sounding chorus. The repetitive track is a tribute to the mysterious plant that seems to influence the band and most of the rock music coming out in the 70s. Further down on the album is the standout track Swim, which sounds more Nirvana-like. Driven by a relentless cowbell, Swim gives the retro album a more grungy feel, dipping into Kurt Cobainish songwriting structures.
For lack of a better description, Ain’t Talkin’ About Love is a dinosaur rocker. The song is big and sluggish, but very tuned into the retro sound the band is trying to re-create, while the album closer Indiana, is a slow guitar-driven jam that seems like it could have fit on Nirvana’s Unplugged album.
Black Pussy reminds me of Buckcherry without the glam, gimmicks and party-rock - basically Black Pussy is Buckcherry, had Buckcherry had the balls to create something less commercial. The band is very rooted, full of attitude and extremely indie, making them an exciting band to watch out for in the future. On Blonde is a great first effort.

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