Posted on: April 15, 2012 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

 

Ash Gray and the Girls creates a sixties, Hippie type of sound with Purple and Gold, the first track on Born In The Summer. In the four minutes that the track occupies, hints of The Turtles, Strawberry Alarm Clock, and the Mamas and the Papas can all be heard. All the Good Girls starts softly and gathers considerable steam before the vocals even start.

Whether it be a Sonny Bono or a Partridge Family feel, the tack that Ash Gray and the Girls take during this album is something special. There is a familiarity present in each track that will have fans keeping Born In The Summer on repeat. The story-telling nature of The Only Woman On Earth hearkens back to both surf music and Wayne Cochran’s work, and possesses a tightness to the band’s compositions that allows the vocals to shine. The Hottest Chick Around breaks the style of Born In The Summer; the more psychedelic styling of the track seems to have some grunge (either Neil Young or early Nirvana) thrown in. After a few listens, one can discern an electronic fuzz reminiscent of The Cars.

While this may be a little bit of an anachronisms given the rest of the disc, I believe that the success of this track shows Ash Gray and the Girls’ full understanding of the evolution of popular music. With the collective knowledge gleaned from the last sixty years of rock, the band is able to create pop rock hits that would be utterly at home on the nation’s best classics stations. However, their immaculate retro feel will excite anyone that is disaffected with current music; pick up this era and genre-transcending title today.

Top Tracks: Purple and Gold, Born In the Summer

Rating: 8.7/10

 

Ash Gray and the Girls – Born In The Summer (CD) / 2012 Self / 11 Tracks / http://ashgrayandthegirls.com/

Leave a Comment