Testosterone-laden foursome

The band Jonny Lives! obviously wants commercial success, and it is very probable that they may just get it with their debut "Get Steady."

This young testosterone-laden foursome stem from the Big Apple, and the sounds and ponderings of gritty yet shinny metropolitan life abound in this release.

Every one of these guys uses their pipes in addition to fondling an instrument. Their front man Jonny Dubowsky's lightly hung over and angst-dripping voice, lends itself nicely to the smart-yet biting lyrics. A devout feminist may not take a liking to some of this band's sentiments as they pretty much say what is on their mind even if they contradict themselves.

"I'm a jet setter, I [expletive] her and forget her, I think that I can make it, but lord knows I won't fake it" Regardless, Jonny Lives! is capable of writing their own lyrics and music, and that is always appreciated by many music lovers in a day and age of "generica."

They have formed their own sound, although it does sound a good deal like the Strokes or the Libertines. The title track 'Get Steady' leaps and bounds with tambourines and a marijuana drawl. The guitar at the bridge is nicely retro and drawling as well.

Other songs have this sort of herky-jerky up and down flow to them also much like actual life in a city. There is a definite ambient choppiness to "Breaking Down," an acoustic ditty complete with the ever-popular handclap. Dubowsky's voice is like a whisky-tinged plea that is paired nicely with the occasional smooth barbershop backup vocals and bell.

"Diamonds & Roses" is a direct rip-off of the Strokes and all bands that try and sound like a rock band from the seventies. Although this song is solid, it is nothing we have not heard already, and the handclaps get old after a while.

A fan of The Squeeze/Elvis Costello, might just really enjoy a song like "Something About It." This is a song about hopeful frustration, yet the voice intonations and music that express this are bent on notes of optimism. The parallels and painful paradoxes of life and love abound here, pushing and pulling in the grey murky area between black and white.

"Do It Again" is the very thesis to the whole "yin and yang" theme of this CD. "I can feel my best and my worst at the very same time." Soft drums join deep staticky guitar, grungy bass, and the delicate ting of a bell to create the visuals, and hard/soft balance to this dreamy storytelling tune.

It is safe to say Jonny Lives! is worth a listen, that is, if the listener enjoys modern mainstream rock music that models itself on bands and sounds of the past.