Los Angeles' Poets & Pornstars are looking to bring the classic dirty rock n' roll sound back into the forefront of music with their self titled debut on Adrenaline Music. The band is comprised of several journeymen of bands from the Strip who at first glance look like stunt doubles for Guns N' Roses with the exception of bassist Sally Hope who stands out simply because she's not a rock dude. Despite the fact that her looks may make some doubt her talent, she certainly holds her own.The album's opener "Rock And Roll" opens up with the classic bluesy and gritty rock n' roll sound making it clear that the band has taken a page out of Black Crows and more recently Silvertide's book. These aren't bad bands to be taking cues from, in fact I would take a dozen more bands like Poets & Pornstars over bands like Nickleback and Fall Out Boy. "Strange" seems poised to be Poets & Pornstars debut single with its driving beat and a chorus that, while not completely original, sounds has just enough variations that you can't put your finger exactly on where you've heard it before.
The debut from Poets & Pornstars has two ballads, "In The Dark" is the first and definitely the better of the two. Actually, it may be the best song on the record. From the tasteful guitar parts in the verses to the piano almost carrying the song to the fact that as you listen to the song you're waiting for the band to erupt into full on rock n' roll mode at any second it is truly a well crafted tune.
"Monkey" is one of the more upbeat songs on the record that at its surface is a somewhat catchy song but it is quickly ruined by the poor attempts at metaphors in the lyrics. The songs features lines such as "I wanna be your monkey, baby, swinging my thing and driving you crazy," as if the audience doesn't get what front man Hal Ozsan is alluding to. At first listen "Spy Vs. Spy" may have that title simply because the riff that the song is build around is similar to the classic "James Bond" riff but other than that song is a solid rocker with a wide open chorus.
The closer for Poets & Pornstars, "Earthman" sounds like a decent ballad at the start. It rustles up memories of the band Train until Ozsan starts singing "the poets and the pornstars, the lovers and the diehards." Seriously, did he just reference his own band in the song? At that point all is lost as it's pretty hard to take the song seriously when he references his own band in it. Beyond the album's corny closer it features fewer mishaps than most debut records and it appears that Poets & Pornstars have positioned themselves to possibly become one of the next bands to bring back and keep the classic rock n' roll sound alive.
