Description

The melodic cascade of assertive words emanating from Kleveland singer/guitarist Stephanie Smith may remind you of Chrissie Hynde, but the band’s manic guitar attack borrows more from the aggression of metal and punk than the Pretenders much managed after their debut album. There are echoes of other bands with female leads, such as X and the Alley Cats, but Kleveland rocks harder, as if the Runaways chops had lived up to their ambitions, The Pandoras detour into metal had been more musical, or punk rockers like Civet or the Distillers took a breath once in awhile to decimate the objects of their derision rather than just cuss at them. Smith may not have Pat Benetar’s operatic range, but she’s got the same ballsy Attitude. Kleveland is loud guitar rock that combines the sonic punch of 1970s rock with the in-your-face confrontation of punk. Overall, this is a great album, not only for its individual tracks, but the broad scope of music found within this album. Seriously recommended.

Track list:
1. Do It Big
2. Crutch
3. Harder
4. You’re Not Sorry
5. Late Bloomer
6. Low
7. Sloppy Seconds
8. It’s Your Turn
9. Golden Gloves
10. It’s Over