Andrea Harsell | Rock & Roll Lovechild
Published: July 7, 2010
Veteran Missoula rock ‘n roll songstress Andrea Harsell has put out an aptly titled CD that’s garnering gobs of Internet airplay. With a cast of talented musicians, featuring her band, the Night Lights, and including the Waterside Choir, she powers through 12 original love songs of one sort or another, sung and played with abandon.
There’re also snippets of Missoula background noise between tunes – a nice touch.
The Night Lights feature Missoula music fixture Louie Bond, lead guitar, bass, and vocals; Joe Nickell, drums; and Ryan “Schmed” Maynes, on practically everything else. Harsell does vocals and rhythm guitar.
Squally guitar licks open the illicit tryst, “Gotta Find” (“Ain’t too many things this girl can’t do.”). The uptempo, Dire Straits-y “Lemonade” has cool chords underscoring the vocals. I’m hearing Joan Jett, Janis Joplin, and Tanya Tucker in Harsell’s inflections, awesome influences all. She must’ve heard their stuff growing up around her dad Rod’s radio station.
The bluesy, shuffly “Never Let You Go” has rockin’ trumpet riffs from guest artist Mike Milch; Harsell struts ’50’s stylings, along with sort of a Cyndi Lauper thing, when she drags out “lu-uv me-eee.”
“Tea for Two” is a slow blues with a kind of Eric Burdon and the Animals feel. It’s a plaintive belt-buckle shiner with chewy guitar. Harsell spits out descriptive, tight lyrics and drags out the word “madness” till it’s a mile long. Cool! The dancers will be up, if they’re not already, after this.
“Ol Dance Floor” has Maynes tickling the ivories to death, and Bond gut-spilling chunks of hot guitar lead, behind Harsell’s growling, coo-ey stylings.
“Waterside” is the perfect finale, with its gospel foundation and R&B engine. Navigating key changes, the Waterside Choir rocks out behind a wailing Harsell, who seems to be having an epiphany here: our protagonist tussles with Satan over her soul. It’s got that down ’n dirty earthiness which underpins all fine spirituals. Good stuff!
The CD was recorded at Club Schmed Studios and AudioWorks in Missoula, and produced by Maynes, Harsell, Richard McIntosh and Jim Rogers. Crisp engineering from Maynes adds to the effort.
Visit the artist at www.andreaharsell.com.
– Mariss McTucker
