Album Review by Hardrock Haven
Derric Miller

Miss Crazy
Miss Crazy

Can you name one band that is not black metal who wears white makeup and black lipstick? No? Well, you can now, thanks to Miss Crazy. Like their heroes KISS, Miss Crazy dons makeup to give you more than just a great sound. Their package is as visual as it is sonic, but they are here to make a hell of a lot of noise regardless.

Miss Crazy's debut CD comes with a cover showing a speaker melting, barb wire criss-crossing the scene, and also the Japanese letters "M" and "C." Their makeup will remind you of Kabuki, so therefore, the Japanese letters fit right in. But what about the music …

Not since Cinderella's Night Songs has a band come from out of nowhere and just screamed "look at me!" like this. The opening track, "No Compromise," introduces you to lead wailer Markus Allen Christopher, who sounds like the offspring of Tom Keifer, Joe Elliot and Brian Johnson if they could genetically impregnate the same lass 33 percent each. While that isn't possible, that's what the vocals sound like. The chanting "oh-we-oh-we-oh" adds another element to this fast paced and "crazy" song. Damn …

"Billie," just composition wise, will remind you of older Cinderella again. The chorus is screamingly melodic, and the background singers accompany Christopher as they go back and forth. While the vocals shred, the guitar solo impresses as well. Miss Crazy sounds like the bastard child of '80s rock Gods, and that's a great compliment.

You'll get a strong AC/DC riff in "Life's Been Good," an upbeat track with a Def Leppard sounding chorus. Christopher's vocals have so much energy in them it's like he bleeds Red Bull.

They change pace and show their ability to do so on, "You're Blue." Here, Christopher tones down his higher voice and soothingly offers a more straight ahead vocal style, right up until the chorus. This song has more intricate guitar interludes, a spacey feel, and proves that Miss Crazy can play any type of song they so desire.

Miss Crazy wears their influences on their sleeve, and you'll hear all of them on a song like "Now." KISS, AC/DC, Kix, Cinderella, and on and on. This is an anthem, a stadium rocker, the kind of song that would have thousands of screaming maniacs jumping up and down in unison. Again, the guitar solo stands out; they know that musicianship is more important than a look, but together, it might drive them to new heights.

Miss Crazy's debut is a refreshing piece of honesty. Instead of pretending to be something they are not, they are owning up in brutal honesty to who they are, and that's makeup wearing '80s music fanatics who will bring their music to the masses one fan at a time.