FIRST CHILD - review added 29th January 2010
Album Review: Queen Of Hearts (2009)
For fans of: Hard Rock... and a few other surprising genres
Queen Of Hearts is the second album by eccentric looking band First Child. Don't let appearances put you off though. There's some top-dollar music on this record.
The band - 'Cat The Cat' on vocals and bass, Bill-Bailey-lookalike Mr "Buddy S" on guitar, and Stephan Preussner on drums - play an intriguing combination of sounds. The overwhelming influence is vintage hard rock, but there are tinges of pop, jazz, blues and more.
Best thing about the record is definitely the vocals. Cat has got a phenomenal voice and sounds like all the best bits of Robin Beck and Bonnie Tyler. The music doesn't always do her justice, and she tends to hold back more than I'd like, but when it all comes together she can send shivers down the spine with the best of them.
There's a good album struggling to get out of Queen Of Hearts. It boasts way too many filler tracks to be a truly good release, but if you removed the 5 or 6 least-effective entries the remainder would be bloody impressive. The best songs include the wonderfully upbeat title track, the subtle delights of 'Gambler', the very cool 'Don't Mess Around', the Americana 'Back At Home', the offbeat indie-musings of 'Gypsy Woman, the 1950's lullaby styled 'When I Dream', and best of all the final track: the simply staggering 'What Are We Fighting For'.
This album is as confusing as the meaning of life. First Child have definitely gone for quantity, not quality...but they've been bloody awkward and put the quality in there anyway. The result is close to genius, and equally close to anonymity. For me Queen Of Hearts is a prime example of an album from which you should buy some individual tracks and compile your own version. Regardless, you'd be a fool not to check this band out. These guys have too much talent to be ignored. If only someone could channel it properly...
Check out... That final track. Awesome.
Track List:
01. Queen Of Hearts
02. Gambler
03. Every Bullet
04. Rock This Town
05. Just The Way I Am
06. Bones
07. Don't Mess Around
08. For The First Time
09. Back At Home
10. Face In The Mirror
11. Gypsy Woman
12. When I Dream
13. Shout Out Devil
14. Have Mercy
15. Bye, Bye My Baby
16. What Are We Fighting For
Artist's website(s): First Child , MySpace
