Queen V Hits Compilation A “Royal” Hit

Courtesy: Royal Noise Records

Ladies and gentleman, all hail her highness, Queen V.  For those rock and roll purists that haven’t yet heard the music of this heroine of hard rock, the New York based artist and her band mates are sure to impress with the new release, The Decade of Queen V.  This eleven track singles collection tracks the band’s now decade-long career together.  With any luck, the release of this brand new compilation will generate enough interest in Queen V to see her previous releases including her debut EP, Critical.  There is not one bad track on this compilation, which is a rare feat for a “hits” collection; this is especially rare considering that the band has flown just below the mainstream radar throughout the first ten years of its time together.

The first of the classic songs on this compilation, ‘Revolution Baby’ will instantly conjure thoughts of Joan Jett and Lita Ford with her gritty vocal style and hard driving music.  Her defiance as she sings lines such as: “You’ve got yours and I want mine”, “I’ve got every reason/to waste me time/Revolution baby/If you think you own me/Go to hell” is the mark of a strong confident woman who could care less about the reputation of the rock industry being marked as a man’s world.  The inclusion of this song as the compilation’s opener is simply put, a reminder of that confidence to first time listeners of her music.  The musical backing is just as solid as Queen V’s own vocals.  The bluesy harmonica backing wouldn’t seem to go with the harder guitars and drums.  But somehow it all melds nicely together to make a perfect introduction for first timers and re-introduction for those that might have otherwise forgotten about her and her band mates.

The energy doesn’t let up at all on the compilation’s next song, ‘America.’  This is pure, guitar-driven hard rock at its absolute finest.  The guitar solos are there.  The energy is there from each one of the band’s members.  And one can so easily close one’s eyes and imagine the band on stage, Queen V up front, fist in the air as she screams, “America/Can you hear me?”  What is most intriguing and interesting about the song is not so much it’s lyrical content, but its slow boil style.  It starts hard enough.  But audiences will notice how the song seems to build, musically increasingly with each verse until it all explodes with a massive guitar solo at the song’s end with Queen V hitting some of the highest notes of any female rocker of any era.  It’s like hearing Janis Joplin if she were a hard rocker, for lack of better comparison when she hits those high notes.  No doubt, long-time fans will appreciate all of this. And first-time listeners will be just as impressed with the talents exhibited here by the entire band.

Not all of the songs on Queen V’s new compilation are older pieces.  She also includes a newer piece in ‘My Machine’ that features none other than Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, The Watchman, Street Sweeper Social Club).  Morello sounds as strong as ever with his guitar wizardry.  As bizarre as this may seem, but the way that Queen V intros the song, bring about thoughts of John Lee Hooker.  It’s that familiar opening of “ha, ha, ha, ha.”  John Lee Hooker fans will get the reference.  It might not have been entirely purposeful.  But it’s a nice touch to the song.  And it only gets more intense from here.  The intensity developed throughout the compilation’s sequence of songs is right here, too. 

There is so much that could be written on Queen V.  But suffice it to say that whether for the songs noted here, or the compilation’s others, including its closer—which was co-written by and features none other than Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead) on vocals—or any of the album’s other outstanding works, this compilation is an absolute must have for any hard rock purist.  Fans can catch the songs from this brand new release and even more of the band’s hits tonight when the band takes the stage at the Thunderbird Café in Pittsburgh, PA.  The band will be in Clifton, New Jersey on July 26^th.  The Decade of Queen V is available now in stores and online.  It can be ordered direct online from the Queen V website at http://www.queenv.com/web/?product=the-decade-of-queen-v-cd-pre-order or via iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-decade-of-queen-v/id662842188.  Audiences can find out more about the band’s live schedule and all of the latest news and more from the band online at http://www.facebook.com/officialQueenV, http://www.queenv.com, http://twitter.com/theQueenV, and http://www.reverbnation.com/queenv.

To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.