This is one of those releases that defies a straight category.  There are so many elements in this CD (including rockabilly, punk, jazz, and 50’s rock) that you could be left scratching your head trying to figure out which section to put it in.  Although the record industry can be narrow minded and always trying to put the square peg in the round hole, as consumers in 2008, we don’t look in a “section” for our music.  With the internet, we can discover new artists (although this is their second release) and be exposed to new music that does not conform to any particular style.  The main person, Colleen Duffy, is part screen siren,  part rocker, but she ties it all together with a punk attitude that reminds me a little bit of Joan Jett.  What makes this album a winner is not that it is full of catchy songs but that each tune is performed with a sense of conviction that you realize that this is not a gimmick but a lifestyle.  This disc may not be for everyone but if you open your mind a little, you will find yourself tapping your foot along to most of the tracks.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2008  Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.