Retrodyne

"Retrodyne", the brand spanking new release from Alison Pipitone, rocks. It is a collection of vibrant, pulsating rock and roll songs with Alison's signature lyrical purity.

There's nothing timid about the latest release from Alison Pipitone - Retrodyne. She kicks the door open with the first track - the rollicking I Don't Remember You - and doesn't let go, even with the ballads. Pipitone, who has a talent for bringing to life the phrase "Wearing your heart on your sleeve," has created another batch of songs with emotionally intimate lyrics encased in achingly tender vocals. I Don't Remember You is the perfect opening to this masterful music compilation. Its resoundingly urgent opening chords blasting out from the speakers accompanying the fervently emotional lyrics - "I remember the breath I breathed when you held me/I remember the strength you had when I cried/I remember the love I felt when you felt me/I remember that long terrible sad goodbye" - readies the listener for the musical odyssey to come. The next tune, Sticking Real Good, is so incredibly sexual and hard driving with lyrics comparing her girl to a fast car - Darlene my queen you know you are the best ride in town/To hear your engines roar only makes me want you more/I would live to drown in that sound/the boom boom of your wheels against the ground/I'll be the first to admit if you throttle me a bit/I will turn those curves till sundown " - I dare you not to smoke a cigarette after listening to it. Okay, so maybe you won't, but something inside of you will be smokin'. If not, you should check yourself for a pulse. Even with the harder-edged sound than her previous releases, Pipitone doesn't totally abandon the ballads that she has a knack for. Retrodyne is filled with beautiful harmonies and overpowering sweet lead vocals in melodious tunes such as Cee Cee, Sean and Getting Married. Once again, Pipitone shows she has the gift for expressing the wonder, magic, loneliness and eternal optimism of the human spirit, whether wrapped in strong electric guitar chords or the wistful vocals of one whose experienced all of it and is longing for more.

• Sandra Molina on Retrodyne