Dressy Bessy
(Transdreamer)
As happily infectious as a Josie & the Pussycats convention, but cut through with the smarts of the Ramones, this Denver-based band is danceably stylish, confident and cool on its sixth album. What's especially remarkable is how Dressy Bessy - which is vocalist Tammy Ealom and three men, including Apples in Stereo member John Hill on guitar - sounds so completely like a girl-guitar group in an updated Bangles/Go-Gos/Fanny mode, only more immediately vital and less "produced."
The band is a vehicle for Ealon's seductively cheerful voice and sly writing, in which a song like "Simple Girlz" works as both a celebration of keeping it musically simple and a critique of guys who want girls who are "simply happy." The band also knows how to vary the melody and tempo so the approach doesn't turn stale. Considered part of the Elephant Six Collective, but not always on its A-list in the past, Holler and Stomp makes Dressy Bessy a vital, full-fledged, and stomping member of the Elephants.
Standout Tracks: "Shoot, I Love You," "Sindy Says" STEVEN ROSEN
