The Donnas: Hair Band Revival?

If Cinderella had a sex change it would sound a lot like Bitchin'. And "Don't Know What You've Got 'Til It's Gone" would have more meaning too.

Over the past few years there has been a resurgence of classic rock influences creeping into modern music. It started with the "cool" bands as new groups sprung up from out of nowhere sounding suspiciously like The Cure or Joy Division. Then, 70's Blooze Rock followed as The White Stripes and Wolfmother began blasting power chords like the bastard children of Jimmy Page. But one segment of classic rock has remained relatively untouched, a genre so maligned that no self respecting person would want to play it: 80's Hair Metal.

The genre was relatively simple, wear big hair with a can of gel and spray in it along with bright spandex clothing. Perform while running, jumping, spinning or all of the above at once. Play anthemic hard rock with an overprocessed guitar sound or synthesizers to soften the tone. Have a pop chorus sung with multitracked eq'ed vocals and add a needlessly fast guitar solo. After that, write a sappy love song for the pop charts and you're set.

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The formula worked brilliantly for about 5 years before it grew stale and was obliterated by Grunge. Many of the bands would eventually reform later but even they would try to recast themselves as true rockers, ditching the long hair, shortening solos and changing to the down tuned guitar style of Limp Bizkit or Korn.

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The music itself still sells when it is repackaged as Monster Ballads compilations that cut out the weaker material. So the field is wide open if anyone wants to take the chance to bring the sound back and one band is taking that challenge-The Donnas.

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The Donnas peaked in popularity a few years ago with the MTV hit "Take it Off" and album Spend The Night (2002). That song epitomized the band's approach- one part punk pop and other part classic hard rock. The punk beat and Brett Anderson's deadpan vocals kept the band's sound in the present while guitarist Allison Robertson reeled off Kiss / AC DC influenced riffs and solos. After the follow up disc Gold Medal failed to repeat their earlier success The Donnas formed their own label, Purple Feather records.

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Now free to make the music they choose, The Donnas are dropping most of the punk influence and literally bringing in more cowbell on Bitchin' (2007). Over the course of 14 tracks spanning 45 minutes the quartet deliver a pop metal album every bit as competent as Heart or Vixen did with an added bit of energy that comes with artistic freedom. The highlights include the Joan Jettish "Don't Wait Up For Me", the Def Leppardy "Save Me" and the Judas Priest mock up "Wasted". The best song "Smoke You Out" is four minutes of hair metal glory as the hook, airy backing vocals and blazing solos all connect.

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Sure, The Donnas lose some points for being derivative but they were never that original to begin with. Their charm lies in a feminine exuberance for rock and roll debauchery. And the change in their sound may add years to their career, as the one song written in their pop punk style "Girl Talk" ironically sounds the most dated. Brett Anderson's deadpan vocal style doesn't quite fit the new approach-she's not a wailer-but does give the band some personal identity.

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They also gain points for going all out in their approach. The Donna's have redone their logo into a classic Metal style and the album cover puts a new spin on Loverboy's Get Lucky album cover. They definitely haven't reinvented the wheel on Bitchin' but they have put on a spare that hasn't been used in years. By the end of the album all questions are answered except one: Where's the power ballad?

I used to have a Whitesnake poster that looked a lot like this one.