The Duke Spirit - Neptune

The second album from this confident, female-fronted rock band from England. Liela Moss fronts the group and sings in a lovely voice full out authority (and with a British accent!). The band backs her up with tight rock that has bluesy-rock influences, somewhat akin to the older stylings of the Rolling Stones. Very well-done, this one's a keeper. Recommended if you like female-fronted rock that could take you out on the town or kick your ass, or maybe both.

www.myspace.com/thedukespirit
www.dukespirit.com

The Ropes - Cry To The Beat EP

Here is the newest EP from New York City's female-fronted dance-rock band, The Ropes. The different parts of the songs, such as verse/chorus/bridge, don't really flow together naturally and it makes for a jarring listen. It sounds like they can write decent parts of songs, but not whole songs. An underwhelming effort. As a side note, 2 of the 5 songs on this have swears and are not radio friendly.

www.myspace.com/theropes
www.theropesonline.com