Call It Rock N Roll stirs a ruckus as a hard rock bluesy EP from the scarlet lady Ruby James, recognized by her vibrant red locks and sultry vocals. A melting pot of witchcraft and soul, the seven-track EP packs a punch. Visually, the cover art is just as loud as the music, showing an image of James electrified with stars and a lightning bolt against a black backdrop, simple yet eye-catching. With only seven tracks to entice, you only have to hear the first few seconds of track one to fall under the spell.
“Voodoo Queen,” drops in with a bouncy T-Rex style riff. Husky vocals lead with a beat that shakes the floor. This tangy bop is ready for the dance floor. Groovy and jolting a rhythmic atmosphere, “Voodoo Queen,” makes plenty of noise as the album’s opener. The witchy bop thrills and sets the tone for Call It Rock N Roll.
Tight as leather, “Gasoline” brings the poison and a mean streak. Marked by subtle synth and thick bass, “Gasoline,” kicks up dust and invokes a smoky underground atmosphere. Raging energy blurs the line between glam-synth and punk, and the snarling punchline, “baby I was born in gasoline,” teases with attitude. For those looking for danger, “Gasoline” is doused in it.
A surf beat welcomes “Novocaine,” though the lyrics tell of a moodier less joyous subject. “I try to numb the pain, a shot of novocaine,” goes the chorus in defeat of a selfish lover. Through gnarly riffs and haunting vocal effects, “Novocaine” churns out an edgy heartbreak jam.
“Honeydripper,” spits fire in a sing-talk style. Dirty and bluesy, the lyrics dance between an ode of admiration and a diss of a hard mean woman. On the second verse, “She’s playing like she royal I can tell you that she isn’t,” teases with venom. Sultry lows and a magnetic guitar solo, if you want hot this track burns with a slow rising heat.
For a gritty breakup bop, “Bumblebee,” has you covered. Intertwining hard rock toughness with the choral backing harmonies of an oldies shoo-bop, “Bumblebee,” finds itself on the rockabilly side of the record. James is joined by blues and country artist, Rosie Flores, another electric singer/songwriter.
“Boogiedown Town,” creeps in on a groovy snare-heavy beat soon joined by hard banging keys and a twangy country riff. The full sound escalates into a funky jam radiating with soul. The bridge sends all the notes climbing into higher elevation as a wild solo brews. One of the strongest tracks, “Boogiedown Town,” pulls all the strings of a powerhouse hard rock banger.
“Punk Rock Love Song (Pretty Fucked Up),” toughs it out as the album’s sole ballad. Husky vocals tell the woeful tale of a heartbroken woman with a cheating man. Featuring Eddie Spaghetti of Supersuckers, the last song on the album is a true duet. And yet the song doesn’t take itself too seriously, from the title to the chorus it feels more of a lighthearted nod to the stereotypical big hair stadium rock ballads of the eighties and nineties, full of over-the-top guitar solos and emotions as high as the hair.
Call It Rock n Roll fleshes out a vibrant mix of rockabilly, blues, hard rock, and glam-rock, focusing on the heavy bass of blues. For fans of Joan Jett, T-Rex, and Greta Van Fleet, Call It Rock N Roll serves a full course of rock and roll. The one downside to an EP like this is you’ll wish there were more than seven tracks. Ruby James stuns as an electrifying witch of a rockstar, alluring in black boots and colorful locks, her spellcasting being the raspy snarls and chants in these tracks. Her showstopper energy is prevalent in the music video for “Honeydripper,” complete with all the glitz, glam and filth of a true showgirl.
I’m Music Magazine Music Journalist Alice Kearney
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