The Pack A.D. are a blues duo with a sound much like The White Stripes, only both of them are chicks. Maya Miller plays the drums, and does a good job at bang-and-boom, but the real star here is Becky Black’s vocals. Her voice is tougher than Melissa Etheridge was (back when Melissa made good music), whether it’s her you-hurt-me-and-I-hate-you snarl or her you-hurt-me-and-I-want-you-back moan. The guitar work is straightforward blues, accented with great grind and grit, and her lyrics are as tough as anything Jack White ever wrote.
Their debut album, Tinytype, actually came out in 2007, but they’re on a label now and the record got an official release last January. All of the album’s 17 songs are short kicks in the ribs.
I got Tinytype when I was at my favorite used CD store last weekend, and they were playing the more recent, August release, “Funeral Mixtape.” I wanted to pick up FM, but they only had the one copy and they weren’t parting with it. And I’m glad they didn’t. From what I heard, the second album is a little moodier and less raw (as is true of most sophomore releases). It’s good—don’t get me wrong—but Tinytype is great.
For fans of: Grace Slick, Linda Perry, The White Stripes, The Black Keys.
Bonus Blues!
Goin’ Down South (RL Burnside Cover)-The Black Keys
