New Randy by New Randy

Women are this, men are that... We could go on and on -- and yet, when you search the rock 'n' roll archives for songs about screwing from the female perspective, the pickings are mighty thin. And so we come to New Randy, a raunchy glimpse through the female lens, written by Lisa B. Burns and Holly Anderson, both accomplished artists, neither in the first blush of youth, about their long and happy experiences.

Burns has a wonderfully distinctive voice -- child-like one moment, blues-growling the next. A cappella, as she sings on "Honeymoon", she has an almost old-time Appalachian

sound, but she can rock, too, on harder-hitting songs like "Stripling" and "The Clouds Flew Away Like Birds".

Anderson, a poet who has written lyrics for Mission of Burma and Consonant, pens the words. Here she lets loose with some very strong metaphors -- and some silly ones. Comparing lovers to a monkey (the man) and a tree (the woman) in "Monkey" feels a little strained, though the accompanying music is among the album's best. "Wildnights" is far stronger, with lines like "We rode to heaven on a velvet sea / and I prayed to stars as you covered me," plus a spoken word meditation on the physics of sex.

The best song, musically and lyrically, is "Girls All Night Long Might Sing", a celebration of the sexual power of young girls, all blistering beauty as they share dirty glasses of beers and throw their bolts of blue lightning at boys. Enjoy it while you can, and then enjoy what comes afterward, seems to be the message here. It comes from two women who, as they say in "The Clouds Flew Away Like Birds", never thought that was too much to wish for. What is that? Everything to do with sex and love and life and happiness.

If you're young and taking love too seriously, if you're old and giving up on it, if you're a guy who can't figure out women, if you're a woman who's not sure how strange you are, you could probably learn something from New Randy. Sure, it's home-made... all the good stuff is. "

-- Jennifer Kelly

Splendid ezine

10-24-05

Q. What happens when a blue-eyed writer and a dark-haired singer conjure Sappho drinking vodkas in a neighborhood bar?

A. They write New Randy songs

recording: Arthur Lamonica, guitars trk 11: Chris Brokaw drums: Dylan Maida

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