One-Eyed Doll

Break (2010)

dustinhedrick2

With the release of their third album, One-Eyed Doll seems to iterate by the lyrical subject matter, album artwork and the title, "Hey! Even freaks have broken hearts too!"

This album revs up the engines with the intro track "Airplane." It starts off with the sound of these jet engines seamlessly transitioning into the guitar tone. The first two tracks are a couple of quick little ass kickers that would make Courtney Love proud. It then takes a turn that would make one think Kimberly Freeman has a soft, sensitive side to her if she wasn't talking about killing a man. I particularly like the guitar of the track "Cinderblock." It eerily makes me think of a ticking time bomb that will imminently explode into the heart of the song. The band complements Freeman in the track "Bumblebee" with a fingerpicked acoustic guitar playing while Freeman sings of an innocent girl's first encounter with a seemingly sweet little bumblebee. The band slowly makes its transition into a heavy rock number while Freeman sings of the bumblebee stinging the poor girl.

The Texas band takes a moment to pay homage (or make a mockery, whichever way you look at it) to the influence of down home country music in their neck of the woods with the track "Redneck Love Song." It sounds like a bar fight will most certainly break out after this one. Then they make a 180 degree turn with "Murder Suicide," a track that would make any mother weep. Freeman and the band seem to get angrier and even more possessed as the album comes to fruition with "Sucker Fish." The producer takes a nice demented sounding effect and places it on Freeman's voice to make her sound as though she has dug herself out of hell and is back for vengeance. The last two songs of the album appropriately take their time in epically ending the album. In "New Orleans" Freeman shows that she doesn't need a beat to wail. The most impressive vocal demonstration in this track is accompanied by excellent musicianship and arrangement in the last track "Resurrection."

This album is a great listen for those who aren't afraid to be haunted by a lady's voice alone!