Penny Relentless are based in the hell of the music business (that's Los Angeles to you) and present us here with a 5 track EP called "The Trial of Penny Relentless Volume II". There is no indication on the sleeve as to what this band are accused of so we shall seek the truth from their songs.
"It's Alright" starts us off like the night train taking us on a journey that hopefully leads to the promised land of success. "Johnny's Great Mistake" dances round you like a hooker in a downtown bar. It exudes sleaze, misfortune and mistakes, innocence lost and, without a doubt, they eat simple country boys there. Ambition gets it in the neck with "What I Want". The passion of the performance impresses with Ryan Brown's drumming kicking off a righteous thunderstorm. Hiding in the shadows is "My Inner Psychosis" - a twisted tale of madness and we quote an example of the lyrics to prove the point - "… have a little fun before I cut you". The closing song, "Use Me Up" is a touch more reflective looking at how the search for success swallows people up and ends up destroying their self respect. The great plus points of this release are that there is a strong common lyrical theme running through all these songs and they are performed with notable energy and style. On the downside, vocalist Abby Kincaid sometimes comes off more like an actress singing than a proper rock singer. A danger of living in that part of the world, we suppose, but her grunged up guitar playing more than makes up for it.
Our verdict? A rock opera in the making. Once again, Bluesbunny sees commercial potential that surely even a major record company accountant can spot. The stage show, the musical, the film, the film of the musical - it's all in there. Despite our reservations about Ms Kincaid's voice, this is dramatic, soul stirring stuff and certainly worthy of your attention. Available from CD Baby.