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LITA FORD
MAKES A CONVINCING COMEBACK
She graduated from Runaways and since then she has developed musically, gained self-confidence and ideas and is now debuting with the album "Out For Blood" and her new group, The Lita Ford Band.
Lita Ford's album is now in the record stores and in the charts and it's actually a very pleasant return - "Out For Blood" is a visually convincing comeback!
"We're not at all what Runaways fans expect," says Lita. "Neil and Dusty are so insanely talented sometimes I can't believe this is my band!"
INVALUABLE ASSET
And certainly musically this band is significantly better than the Runaways ever were, even though the focus and spirit are the same. It's about hard and tough rock'n'roll from the first track to the last, the bass is heavy and pumping, the guitars scream and whine and Dusty Watson's thunderous drums create a compact and impenetrable wall of sound.
The songs on the LP are written by Lita and bassist Neil Merryweather, with two exceptions: "Rock'n'Roll Made Me What I Am Today" is written by Pete Heimlich and the fine "Any Way That You Want Me" is written by Chip Taylor.
Neil is a very experienced and talented rocker and he has been an invaluable asset to The Lita Ford Band since the beginning. He writes songs, is a fast and creative bass player, produces and was even the group's manager until very recently. That role has now been taken over by Allen Kovac.
GOOD GUITAR PLAYING
The album "Out For Blood" doesn't really offer any direct surprises, but it doesn't matter much, this is well-played and brutal hard rock, exactly the way the audience wants it. It rocks best in the title track, "Ready, Willing And Able" and in the closing "I Can't Stand It", and Lita's guitar playing is consistently very good. She was praised for that already in The Runaways and she has always had the ambition to develop and mature as a musician.
- With Runaways, I always knew I could be much better, she says.
I wanted to try new things and develop myself.
Since the group's split in 1979, Lita has disciplined herself and practiced hard every day, which has also paid off on the new LP - she is cheeky and cheeky enough to occasionally play the part of several of her male colleagues!
ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING
As far as the singing is concerned, there are a few shortcomings here and there. Lita is far from a great singer and her voice often sounds too thin and uncertain amidst the noisy, high-pressure music. Neil, however, disagrees with this:
- Lita is absolutely outstanding, he thinks instead. A few years ago she didn't care one bit about her voice, now she's become a fantastic rock vocalist. I think she's even surprised herself!
She is the absolute toughest girl in the hard rock scene and the title of the album suits her perfectly - as does the photo job. Lita is dressed in mesh and leather with hundreds of studs, her hair is blond and bushy, she is heavily made up and she seems to have her sights set on one thing only - to be the best and toughest!
So listen to Lita Ford - the girl who plays bleeding hard rock!
Photo: Polygram, SPS