The Donnas — Turn 21 (Review)
Do you remember when VH1 and MTV would introduce a new music video? I remember when The Donnas Gold Medal was released. The video to their first single “Fall Behind Me” was this swirl of 70s backlight poster glory. The song was so good. It was heavy. At that point in my my life, I only knew of a few rock bands with either a few female members or an all female ensemble. If you can’t tell, I love female singers and bands. I was all in as soon as I heard them. The Donnas were already a fairly well known entity on the rock music scene as their hit “Take It Off” was heavy played and licensed out to various movies and video games. The Donnas had started out on the scene when they were still in high school. They were a punk band. Their first 3 albums really highlighted this sound. However, Turn 21 was turn to a much more hard rock sound. So, after listening all the way through this album, what are my thoughts?
You are immediately hit with Maya Ford’s (Donna F) bass before Allison Robertson’s (Donna R) guitar comes in hard and heavy. “Are You Gonna Move It For Me” is hard rocking track. Brett Anderson (Donna A) sings about a sleazy older man whose only wanting in their pants and isn’t taking a no. The girls are not taking this dudes shit. Brett’s vocals give off a great “fuck you” vibe out to this character. It’s a great track. “Do You Wanna Hit It” starts furiously with guitar. You can tell they were influenced by 80s hard rock bands. This is a classic dirty rock song. Brett sings of a wild night of drinking, drugs, and sex, “… I can’t stand up but that’s okay, so let’s crawl to the back of my Chevrolet…”. This girls are here for a good time, and a good time is what they’re giving here. “40 Boys in 40 Nights” is the only single from this album. Torry Castellano’s (Donna C) cowbell and drums bring in the song to a great rock groove. The song is about what it says, getting through 40 boys in 40 nights. “Makin’ out all night in Hollywood, You know I’d do them all if I could, My honey in Stuttgart does care that I collect their underwear…”. It’s a fantastic jam. It’s dirty and ruckus in all the right ways. “Play My Game” is another number on going all in with a guy. “Let’s play ball, we don’t need a court, Just you and me, full contact sport…”, we can get down and dirty, but don’t think you have the upper hand. “Midnite Snack” is one of the more high school like tracks. It’s got a great chant of “Midnite Snack” in the chorus. Lyrically, it’s about wanting a midnight snack and a little something from the guy you’re after. “Drivin’ Thru My Heart” gives me some Joan Jett vibes. It’s a breakup song through and through. A boy that cuts you off and moves on immediately to leave you in his wake. “You’ve Got A Crush On Me” pokes at this guy that clearly is enamored with The Donnas, but is out of his league. It’s a bratty song in all the best ways. “Little Boy” clearly shows the band’s inspiration from early Green Day tracks. It’s a fast moving punk rock track about a boy that just can’t get a clue that The Donnas are just toying with him and don’t like him. Again, it’s bratty and punk. “Don’t Get Me Busted” opens off with Allison’s guitar roaring in. It reminds me of a Motley Crew song. The Donnas are out of the prowl for some action, and they’re trying not to let their boyfriends find out. “Police Blitz” is about taking the cop out of a good time, getting high, getting drunk, and getting in his pants. “Hot Pants” is about a girl who thinks she’s hot stuff, but she’s way out of her league when it comes to The Donnas. I just think of all those 80s rock songs about keeping your hands off my girl when I hear this track, and I love the gender swap. “Gimme A Ride” is a song about the The Donnas tearing it up on the way to a party. “Our car is rented and it’s already dented, but it’s freshly lemon scented! We might be late, but it won’t kill you to make a stop at the nearest Drive-Thru!…”. It’s a care-free, no shits giving party track. “Living After Midnight” is The Donnas cover of the Judas Priest track. I honestly think they really do the track justice with their hard rock sound and attitude. The last track on the album is “Nothing To Do” is a track about being bored and doing whatever you can get your hands on. It’s just getting high and partying.
Overall, I love this record. It’s about time the girls get out there and show they can go as hard as the boys. The bands will only go on to improve into their next album Spend The Night, giving them their hit “Take It Off”. This would continue on to their final album Bitchin, before the band disbanded. The Donnas are a fantastic hard rocking group of women that should be listened to in full head banging party mode. The Donnas are here to party, and so should you. The stand out tracks off this record:
- “Are You Gonna Move It For Me”
- “Do You Wanna Hit It”
- “40 Boys in 40 Nights”
- “Don’t Get Me Busted”
- “Living After Midnight”
My overall rating: 7 out of 10 beers for The Donnas Turning 21!
