Reviews, I feel, benefit from a little back story. I was about 10 years old when I first discovered Joan Jett. It was the late 80s and I was obsessed with leather pants and teased hair. Not on me, of course, but on the rockers in the metal videos I consumed every day. So when âI Hate Myself For Loving Youâ came out, and here was a rocker wearing leather pants and teased up hair, who was actually a femaleâand a badass female at thatâwell, I was hooked. Up Your Alley was actually the first cassette I remember buying with my own money. I had gotten others as gifts or through trade or hand-me-downs or whatever. But I paid money for this one.
Obviously, I later discovered that Joan had recorded even better albums, both on her own and with The Runaways. But âbetterâ is almost an unnecessary term when it comes to Jett, because she always rules. And Unvarnished is no exception. With the opening chords, followed by a HEY!, and some powerpoppy hand claps, âAny Weatherâ lets you know that the Queen of Noise is STILL not interested in trend hopping.
Iâm not much for track-by-tracks, but suffice it to say, Unvarnished doesnât let up and Jett keeps the fun rolling right to the final note. Lyrical content ranges from relationships gone bad (âSoulmates to Strangersâ) to commentary on entertainment in the 21st century (âTMIâ and âReality Mentalityâ). And aside from her voice sounding older (but only slightly), this record sounds as though it couldâve been recorded in 1983. In fact, this album would fit seamlessly in between the yellow record and Glorious ResultsâŚ
If you like any of her records, you will probably like this. If you are one of those âOh, I only like the old stuffâ types, well, you will still probably like thisâyou just wonât admit it. The bottom line is this: Three-chord rock nâ roll will never die. And Joan Jett has and will forever see to that.
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