Claudine: Wrestling Consciousness

Can you judge a book by its cover, or in this case, CD?

There is no doubting the pretty face that graces the cover of Claudine's debut CD Wrestling Consciousness. The question is does the music hold up? Well, yes and no. The band is actually quite talented and include Isaac Bolivar (lead guitar), Jason Wall (drums) and Mark Kenoly (bass) who also produced the album. Claudine has a strong voice, a cross between Alannah Myles and Pat Benatar and can be quite soulful when she wants to be.

The album has a whopping fifteen tracks and by the time it was finished I did find it a little long. While there were some interesting moments I think a more concise album would have went a long way in keeping my attention from waning towards the end. Some of the songs lack the necessary hooks to pull me in while others do hold up under scrutiny. Some of the album's better tracks include the catchy album opener "Vice" with its U2ish guitar intro and melodic hooks and "Don't Make A Sound", another standard rock song but with a strong melody.

Interspersed among the rockers are a handful of ballads including "Fallen Angel" where Claudine's voice has a hint of Stevie Nicks and the pretty "If I Ran To You" recalling '80s era Heart. My favourite song is the gorgeous "Clouds" with nice acoustic guitar and perhaps Claudine's best vocal performance.

With fifteen songs there was bound to be some filler and none more so than the glossed over synth driven pop of "Come On Over", a major misstep. Thankfully, Claudine mostly sticks to melodic rock.

While I am still ambivalent about some of the tracks on Wrestling Consciousness, Claudine has made a pretty good, accessible rock album. If she pares down the tracks and focuses more on the hooks, her next album should be that much better. As it is this one earns two and a half stars.

Track Listing:
1. Vice
2. All I Want
3. Bleeding Hearts
4. In the Ruins
5. Fallen Angel
6. If I Can Run To You
7. Clouds
8. Don't Make A Sound
9. You
10. The Battle Rages On
11. Stay
12. Play Me
13. Come On Over
14. Hallelujah
15. I Will Learn

Added: October 3rd 2011
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 1871
Language: english

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