First Child: Queen Of Hearts (CD/DVD)

First Child are a hard rock band from Germany. I had not heard of this band before and it seemed a bit unusual to me as I am mostly familiar with progressive music produced from that country. Queen of Hearts is the band's second release. In the band are Cat the Cat (vocals, bass), Mr "Buddy S" (guitar) and Stephan Preussner (drums and percussion).

First Child play mostly classic rock and roll flavoured with a bit of country and a large helping of the blues and fifties style rock and roll. Cat the Cat (an unusual name to be sure) has an excellent hard rock voice conveying plenty of soul and emotion reminding me at times of Alannah Myles. Joan Jett also came to mind. She also proves to be a competent bass player and along with Preussner are able to give some of these songs that extra kick. However, it is the guitar work of Buddy S that is pivotal to the band's style of music. His catchy rhythms and bluesy solos are what this music is all about, at times reminding me of George Thorogood's bluesy licks.

The album opening title track is a melodic rocker followed by the straight forward melodic rock of "Gambler" with its hooky chorus and Cat's slightly raspy lead vocals. Other highlights include the interesting "Face in the Mirror" with somber balladic parts interrupted by flourishes of hard rock and features a nice string arrangement and the ultra catchy "Gypsy Woman", an upbeat number with melodic guitar rhythms and vintage background vocals. Other songs include the delicate "When I Dream", a retro sounding ballad that recalls the mellower work of Blondie and the moody, slow paced rocker "What Are We Fighting For", featuring some tasty guitar work.

The one drawback to this CD is its length. While I would not necessarily call some of these songs filler, there were some songs I did not enjoy as much and I felt it was a bit of a chore to listen to the entire album in one sitting. Cutting out a few of the songs would have made for a stronger album overall. That being said, there are plenty of solid songs to wet your hard rock appetite.

My copy also included a DVD containing video snippets of a few of the band's videos. I am not sure why the band chose not to include the full versions but it is an added bonus nonetheless.

Bottom line: if you enjoy vintage rock and roll you will probably like Queen of Hearts. Although not all the songs are top notch, there is still plenty of music to enjoy, making Queen of Hearts a solid effort and worth a listen.

Track Listing:
CD
1. Queen of Hearts (3:13)
2. Gambler (4:14)
3. Every Bullet (3:21)
4. Rock this Town (3:58)
5. Just the Way I Am (3:13)
6. Bones (3:46)
7. Don't Mess Around (8:14)
8. For the First Time (3:13)
9. Back At Home (3:04)
10. Face in the Mirror (3:26)
11. Gypsy Woman (3:26)
12. When I Dream (2:49)
13. Shout Out Devil (3:13)
14. Have Mercy (4:51)
15. Bye, Bye my Baby (3:13)
16. What Are We Fighting For (4:45)
Bonus Track
First Child Video Trailer (Queen of Hearts – Rock this Town – Shout Out Devil)

DVD
• footage of selected videos

Added: March 27th 2010
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 1973
Language: english

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