The Donnas

Bitchin' - Purple Feather Records Punk pop princesses The Donnas are getting in touch with their '80s metal side, in case you can't tell by the cover, which looks like a spoof on the Mötley Crüe album Too Fast For Love. Bitchin' is filled with the kind of unapologetic anthems to decadence that sold millions of records for that group, Poison, and others. The title track ends with the repetition "more more more more," and that is a harbinger of things to come. These 14 songs are all about excess, be it sex, substance, or just plain trash talking. "Like an Animal" is all about the pheromones, and "Here for the Party" (a song that starts with a classic hard-rock, cow-bell intro) is an ode to the altered state. "Girl Talk," a confrontation between a rumormonger and her subject, includes the line "You are all up in my business." Ouch. Sounds like somebody got bitch-slapped. Metal fans who are looking for guitar pyrotechnics may be disappointed, because this album is more about attitude and power chords than long solos. In fact, attitude is what carries Bitchin', and I hope that it doesn't have to go very far, because the record as a whole is a bit weak. The production and songwriting are there, but the old metal pop bands were more proficient on their instruments. That is what truly separates these ladies from the '80s. ¦