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| Allmusic |
 The passing of four years and a different name should be enough clues that Spinnerette are a far cry from Brody Dalle's previous band, the Distillers, but the extent of just how different Spinnerette is still might shock longtime fans. The Distillers' swan song, Coral Fang, was polished compared to melees like Sing Sing Death House, but Spinnerette's state-of-the-art California trash-pop is buffed to such a high shine that it almost feels subversive compared to Dalle's previous piss and vinegar. These songs are unapologetically slick and hooky, with more in common with bandmate Alain Johannes' other project, Queens of the Stone Age -- whose leader, Josh Homme, is also married to Dalle -- than Dalle and Tony Bevilacqua's Distillers roots. That's not the only influence on Spinnerette, though. "Ghetto Love" recalls the Kills' sleekly deconstructed rock, while "Geeking" nods to Joan Jett's sass. Next to its slick production, Spinnerette's biggest surprise is Dalle's voice. Her rasp now has melody, spanning "All Babes Are Wolves"' keening highs to "Cupid"'s gravelly lows. Almost as surprising is the album's lighthearted mood: Dalle used to sing about love and sex like they were a matter of life or death, but "Sex Bomb" is just good dirty fun. Though things are less complicated in Spinnerette's world than they were in the Distillers', the music is more eclectic, and some of the biggest departures from Dalle's past make for the most interesting moments. "Baptized by Fire"'s über-pop processed beats and keyboards are a bit daring given her punk past; "Distorting a Code" and "The Walking Dead" show some vulnerability along with some unabashedly pretty melodies; and "Impaler"'s witchy folk-rock channels Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain." While Dalle and crew try on these different sounds and make most of them fit, they take a few missteps; many songs go on longer than they should, especially the droning stoner blues of "A Prescription for Mankind," which closes the album and dulls the impact of what came before it. Spinnerette also feels a bit overcooked at times, possibly because of the long time it took to make. At its best, however, Spinnerette shows what Dalle can do outside of the Distillers' context, and suggests that maturity and life after punk rock can actually be fun....full text |
| Yahoo |
| Spinnerette - Spinnerette (Monday June 22, 2009 11:54 AM ) Released on 15/06/09 Label: Hassle Australian born Brody Dalle is a terrifying prospect. As the lead singer of Los Angeles based The Distillers between 1998 and 2005, she carved a niche as a more punk rock, more attractive, more talented, more ferocious Courtney Love, and a natural successor to her idol Joan Jett. She even had a tattoo on her right upper arm with the words "f*ck" and "you" inked onto her skin either end of a skull. Then she met the Queens Of The Stone Age's Josh Homme (an evolutionary step up from ex-husband, Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong), went off to (probably) have loads of frighteningly masochistic sex, changed her name to Brody Dalle-Homme and had a baby. You can forgive her, then, for softening up a bit. But forgiveness needn't come into it, because Spinnerette are better than The Distillers ever were. Where her former act just made sneering grunty fight-punk, Spinnerette have proper tunes, proper lyrics and proper choruses. Marriage to two proven master songwriters has probably helped. But whatever, it's a positive move. "Geeking" is a bulkier, female-fronted version of The Ramones that happily steals the intro from Muse's "Starlight" but quickly morphs into something scarier. "All Babes Are Wolves" is a charming thrash-punk ode to her husband ("Oh babe I would die for you / Oh babe I will never leave); while "Sex Bomb" does the same with some added nods to her recently dead dad ("I don't want another man, I cry myself to sleep at night / I want you to be my daddy, why won't you be my daddy?"). Dalle's also uncovered an appreciation for her own voice, using it to decorate song outros with some uncharacteristically feminine lyrical twists. But anyone thinking she's pussied out would be wrong. She's made it clear that Spinnerette is her band and she's the only permanent member. She's not giving up her title of Strongest Woman In Rock. She's just having a better time. "Baptized By Fire" is essentially a song about going on holiday ("I've been sailing on, out into Bermuda blue"), complete with some Spanish-sounding guitar. Dalle's real name is Bree Joanna Alice Robinson, but she changed it to mimic French actress Beatrice Dalle, after splitting with Armstrong. Beatrice was an ex-model prone to getting arrested, playing cannibals and marrying prison inmates. It's a good example of how Brody's influences might seem obvious from the outset, but are actually more complex. Even if none of them are anything other than tough as hell....full text |
| Guardian |
| After making a terrible noise with Los Angeles guitar grunts the Distillers, their former singer, Brody Dalle, has plumped for something blessedly different for her first solo album. It would be exaggerating to say she's gone pop, but as Spinnerette she certainly displays more of an aptitude for making listenable music. The spirit is no less raucous, but there's a new-found propensity for the anthemic and melodic that balances out the grunginess. Perhaps it's because Dalle gets inspiration from other sources now: Geeking, for instance, evolved from a lullaby she hummed to her daughter, and Sex Bomb is a hilarious (think sirens, screams and comedy baritone interjections) ode to hubby Josh Homme. The fuzzed-up, slowed-down A Prescription for Mankind seems to bear Homme's imprint, but if he gave her a hand, an apparently exhausted Dalle still dominates the song. File Spinnerette alongside Pink and Joan Jett - and that's a compliment....full text |
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