Review by Jazzer
3½ stars out of 4
It has taken Planet Queen Singer/Songwriter/Vocalist Sandy Cohen a couple
years to get this project off the ground. Cohen's former band Grind made
quite a mark on the Boston scene but seemed to run out of gas and fizzle
out. There had been a lot of anticipation about her next project but
it seemed to take a long time to get it together. A marginal track
appeared on the New Alliance "Ten Years After" compilation two years
ago, and several lineup changes before the emergence of "Sal Si Puedes".
Being a long time fan of Cohen's ability to write strong rock songs, I,
for one, anxiously awaited some new material. There has always been a
certain sense of sophistication in Cohen's songs and this new disc is
no different. You really have to read in between the lines to understand
what this complex writer is singing about.
"Sal Si Puedes" opens with the very catchy "Chaos/Control",
which features some nice backing vocals by Bassist Mike Walker, but
fizzles with "Truth" the second track. It rebounds with arguably the
CD's strongest track "Potion" which showcases more of Walker backing
vocals, and the powerful pipes of Cohen, who shines with a resounding
vocal missing in so many of today's young female rock vocalists.
"Boots On" has a very heavy rock feel and tremendous vocal performance
but drags on a bit too long.
There are several more powerful moments of this effort, but overall
the complicated songs will keep most listeners, with short attention
spans, from understanding what exactly is going here. Cohen
remains an inspiration with her ability to write and sing interesting
songs and play crunchy guitar rhythms, but as far as commercial appeal
goes "Sal Si Puedes" falls a bit short, which limits its audience.
Reader Feedback
Thankyou Jazzer - I appreciate the review
--Sandy
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