The Bluebonnets
Tonewrecker
Reviewed by Alejandra Ramirez, Fri., May 19, 2017
Former Go-Go's pluck Kathy Valentine at the wheel and roaring guitarist Eve Monsees riding shotgun, the Bluebonnets plow down an expanse of rock & roll nostalgia while bassist/vocalist Dominique Davalos and drummer Kristy McInnis rollick through a tight rhythmic ballast on Tonewrecker. As with 2014 sophomore album Play Loud, the local quartet cycles through revved-up hooks and intricate fretwork that guns mojo blues, jangly pop, jagged rock, and punk thrust. Monsees wields her Stratocaster like an axe alongside Valentine on opener "Why Ya Don't," complemented by Davalos' staple yelps and raspy yells channeling Joan Jett on the convulsive "Don't Walk, Run." That gives way to 12-bar blues vamps in "Make Me Shake." For "Texas Gold," the quartet channels its inner vagabond, purveying Lone Star State terrain with enough crunch to rattle the Rio Grande. Slinky riffs glisten on "Fall and Get Up," and funk shuffles in "Be My Man" all attest to the Bluebonnets' authoritative and well-seasoned craft. Rock & roll KO.
