I recently unearthed this “lost” gem of an album from a few years ago, “Transit of Venus”, the debut album from The Cherry Bluestorms, is a modern pop album with a well placed nod to the classic rock genre (also named one of David Bash’s top 100 pop albums of 2007). Starting with a stellar cover of The Beatles’ “Baby, You’re a Rich Man,” the duo of Deborah Gee and Glen Laughlin (The Dickies) add a nice psyche-pop touch to a full arena rock sound. They collaborate the style well on “Daisy Chain” and fans of The Grip Weeds will really flip for this group. The rich production work and composition of “Here” bring to mind both Chrissie Hynde and Annie Lennox. The music leans less on the sixties influences by the albums’ mid point and the great guitar work and Gee’s smooth vocal approach continues on the gems “Violent Heart” and “While You Were Away.” The male-female duet of Gee and Laughlin return with the excellent “Fear of Gravity.” The songwriting overall is strong throughout the entire album, so no real filler either. Overall, if you missed this one — it’s both fresh and accessible, so give it a chance. Fans of Heart and Jefferson Airplane will also enjoy it thoroughly.
