KICKIN VALENTINA
“IMAGINARY CREATURES”
Album Review By Iron Mathew

9/10

Kickin Valentina are a hard rock band from the USA formed in 2013 releasing their self titled E.P. later the same year. In 2015, the band signed with Mighty Music and released their debut full length album ‘Super Atomic’. The band toured the US extensively in support of the album and in 2016 embarked on a European tour. 2017 will see the release of the bands second full length effort ‘Imaginary Creatures’.

The eighties sleaze/glam rock genres spearheaded by bands such as Poison, Faster Pussycat, Ratt and Skid Row has been re-invented by Atlanta rock band Kickin Valentina. Bustling with energy and oozing a feel good party rock vibe, the bands new album gets underway with ‘Eyes’. Glam rock and roll has never sounded so good. ‘Eyes’ swishes and sways its way through pounding rhythms and an infectious groove that will have you insanely smiling. Raising the energy level ‘Turns Me On’ is American hard rock at its finest. Foot tappingly addictive, ‘Turns Me On’ is catchy, with a sing a long style chorus. Are Kickin Valentina looking to bring back the good old days of glam rock? Am not sure, but boy do they rock hard…

A vocal delivery of everything from throaty, raspy to gravelly, also gives the music a Southern rock edge too. And indeed, Kickin Valentina would not be out of place in a saloon bar way out west with beer bottles littering the tables as the locals strut their stuff on a dance floor strewn with straw . . . ‘Devil’s Hand’ chugs relentlessly on and delivers a more meaner and moody feel as it proudly marches on its way. Buzzing guitars and some very infectious and groove based riffing greets the listener as ‘Eat ‘N Run’ romps in and bristles with energy as it foot tappingly strolls on. A most addictive sing a long chorus will have you singing along in insane fashion to an insanely cracking song. Get those beers flowing, this is party rock time and Kickin Valentina are rocking the house… Enter the customary ballad that accompanies any hard rock album, and it’s time to get those lighters out and hold them high. ‘Crazy’ slows the pace allowing a breather from the breathless energy of the opening four songs.

Swaggering hard rock makes a welcome return in the shape of the hard hitting ‘Street’. Moving towards a more Aerosmith like style of rock, ‘Street’ maintains the infectious nature of the albums first half, turning the album towards a “must add” to a party rock playlist. ‘Roll Ya One’ is a majestic foot stomp, buzzing guitars leading the way as the British hard rock sound makes its presence felt. ‘Roll Ya One’ has a cracking sing a long style chorus and is top notch rock and roll. With an injection of pace and an influence of the blues, ‘Heartbreak’ is a high paced, highly energetic raucous romp. The fastest song on the album, it is a corker and will send a live audience into a frenzy as it bustles by in a hurry. ‘Burning Love’ is a cover version of the song covered by the legendary American singer Elvis Presley, which is a more popular and well known version than the original that appears on the 1972 self titled album of country soul artist Arthur Alexander. Kickin Valentina have kept very much to the feel and vibe of the Elvis version, it’s full of energy and intensity and is a great cover. Bringing the album to a close is the swaggering title song ‘Imaginary Creatures’. Blues tinged hard rock rounds of a cracking album of rock and roll, and an album that will raise the profile of Kickin Valentina to an entirely new level.

Overall, energetic and electrifying hard rock fused with old school style glam rock, this is a party rock style, anthemic album of addictive and infectious groove based rock.

TRACKLIST

Eyes
Turns Me On
Devil’s Hand
Eat ‘N Run
Crazy
Street
Roll Ya One
Heartbreak
Burning Love
Imaginary Creatures

http://kickinvalentina.com/
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