Girl Authority

Girl Authority

Rounder Records, 2006

http://www.twitter.com/girlauthority

REVIEW BY: Paul Hanson

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 06/08/2006

Girl Authority consists of nine girls ages 8-13 that cover songs by female artists. Think the Kids Bop series, but with personality, as each girl in this group has their own character (think the Spice Girls) and the group uses real musicians instead of pre-programmed music.

Backing the likes of "Rock and Roll Girl" Tarr, "Country Girl" Crystal and "Boho Girl" Jess are a group of musicians from New Orleans, who had just been through Hurricane Katrina, but you wouldn't know from listening to their professional performance here. The songs include a wide range of material, from 80s artists like the Go-Gos and Cyndi Lauper up to Gwen Stefani.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

Each girl here handles the lead vocals on one track in order to showcase her talent: Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" kicks things off with a group effort, followed by Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." Tarr delivers a performance riddled with attitude and defiance on the latter track, but both show a wide range of style. Carly "Glamour Girl" tackles Rihanna's "Pon De Replay," an energetic dance track, followed by Gina "Urban Girl" taking on Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful." These two made the CD a success for me -- going from an upbeat dance track to a soulful ballad captures the diversity and range present here.

After listening to this release multiple times, I'm convinced this is a legit professional band. Sure, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is delivered in a fun and goofy spirit like the original, but the other selections are more thoughtful and daring. SheDaisy's "Don't Worry 'Bout A Thing" is probably the toughest vocal piece because of the rapid fire delivery, but Crystal carries it off. The tracks where the girls all sing together capture a sense of fun and energy that many bands just can't achieve.



I wish the liner notes said who sang and wrote each track, something the Kids Bop series doesn't do either. Perhaps listing the original artists could inspire other girls to discover them -- maybe "Love Is A Battlefield" or Joan Jett's stellar "Up Your Alley" would see a surge in popularity. Maybe the more thoughtful Madonna tune "Papa Don't Preach" would hit home with these fans and allow a discussion about teenage pregnancy with their child. The dialogue can definitely go both ways.

In summary, Girl Authority make a powerful statement with their debut. The range of material is diverse and taps into multiple genres. I look forward to their next release.

Rating: A

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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© 2006 Paul Hanson and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Rounder Records, and is used for informational purposes only.