Allison Mosshart is one sassy bitch (meant only as an endearing term… honestly). What, you doubt this statement or just flat out refuse to believe it? Go get Blood Pressures from her less known and, in my opinion, much better outfit The Kills (you may better know her as the lead singer of the Jack White group The Dead Weather).
I mean it; Blood Pressures seethes and roils with a brooding sexiness that only the most vicious of voices could deliver, and Mosshart’s delivery on the album is completely flawless making for one hell of a record to sink your teeth into while still being a fun and wholly enjoyable listening experience. Jamie Hince’s (the other half of The Kills) guitars bob, pulse, slither, and weave along in the best ways possible to further accentuate the vocal performances; his arrangements and overall dirty sound ratchet the overall vibe up so much that I may seriously think that this is the best album that these two nutters have created together thus far (not bad for a fourth album). Still skeptical, eh, even with the track record of these two musicians?
Go ahead and pop “Satellite” on your stereo (be it in a mobile conveyance or within the walls of your humble abode) and try not to bob your head as the reggae inflected bounce and vocal hooks do their damndest to take control of your dancing feet in order to make you less of a stick in the mud; this song is so infectiously catchy that it is completely capable of having fun without your tired act. Same thing with the dirty beat of “Nail In My Coffin”; even if you do not find yourself singing along to the chorus of this sassy tune, there are quite a few people who will gladly drown out your moaning negativity with their own version of this excellent duet. “DNA” is another attack of menacing feminine brutality with its brooding vocal power that sounds dangerously sexy, and the echoing guitar and schmaltzy dual vocals of “Baby Says” will have even the stingiest bastard hitting repeat to hear this track over and over again.
Great, great record here for this dynamic duo; quite probably, Blood Pressures may join that pantheon of great summer records to cruise around town in while the luscious sounds blare from the car stereo. The Kills do just that with this their fourth album, and we can only benefit from this batch of tracks.
