Melissa Bryan
Return of the Woman
Reviewed by Margaret Moser, Fri., Oct. 7, 2011
Melissa Bryan
Return of the WomanFor Melissa Bryan, the struggle to perform and record is compounded by severe arthritis, yet neither condition daunts the muscular power-pop on Return of the Woman. The veteran local throws open the gates with the rowdy, schoolyard opening of "'Til Night" and rockers including "Last Saturday Night," but she's neither naive nor jaded. "Holding on to those punk rock ideals doesn't do much in the real world, but I wouldn't have it any other way," she reminds listeners on "The Future Don't Mean a Thing." Bryan doesn't veer a lot from her rebel-with-a-cause stance, and her vocals don't display much color beyond her chant-singing, the lyrics heavy on the "dodge bullets and watch roses bloom" end. Still, she's completely effective in her sonic blasts and canny choice of Darwin Smith's baritone guitar and Kullen Fuchs' Ian Stewart-style piano gives an unexpectedly Stones-y vibe to "Future." Joan Jett probably isn't looking for opening acts, but if she is, my suggestion's Melissa Bryan.
