Morningwood, 'Diamonds and Studs'

Release date: October 27, 2009
Record label: VH1
Official Web site: http://www.morningwoodrocks.com/

The buzz: Morningwood (Chantel Claret and Pedro Yanowitz) created a mild buzz with their 2006 debut album, thanks to the tasty dance-rock anthem “Nth Degree” (heard in about a billion car ads). Problem was, the single sounded nothing like the rest of the album, which was more straight-ahead rawk. On album two, the band rectifies this problem.
 
The verdict: The synths come out more on “Diamonds,” and their addition certainly helps the band’s new material. Frontwoman Chantel can do the tough '70s rock chick thing well (“Hot Tonight”), but the Runaways/Donnas shtick is kinda old, and she works better cooing over keyboards and slick guitars on “How You Know It’s Love” and “Sugarbaby.” A lot of the songs here sound like “Nth Degree” to the…uh, nth degree, but considering how awesome that song was, it’s a forgivable sin.
 
Did you know? Claret is married to Jimmy Urine, frontman for NYC electro-punks Mindless Self Indulgence. The two collaborated on MSI’s 2008 song “Get It Up,” a track about Urine’s inability to…well, the title says it all. Happy marriage!

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