Mad Marge & The Stonecutters – Liberated

Just got this sweet slab of Psychobilly in a few weeks ago. I’d had it in my want list for a few years because my ‘Billy collection is a little weak, I need more – lots more. I saw it on discogs or well in my want list & I noticed it was a measly 4 bucks & the seller wasn’t charging an arm & leg to ship from Germany, so I jumped on it! I remember this record being pretty slick from way back when. I got the disc in for review years ago, but I can’t tell ya what the hell I said about it, that review is long gone. It was released back in 2007, not sure about you, but that’s a long time for my tired old mind. The only thing I remembered was the band had a female lead singer; I’m all for that – I really dig women in music, it’s just cool to see & hear. I believe women should be championed & worshiped in the music scene. The album was also released by one of my favorite labels “I Used To Fuck People Like You In Prison Records”. Of course now that name has been shortened to People Like You Records & I believe it has been swallowed up by Century Media Records.

Mad Marge & her Stonecutters rip from beginning to end on “Liberated”. If there is a term or something close to it I’d say this could be classified best as Pop Psychobilly. Upon the first needle drop, I recall exactly what I enjoyed most about the record the first time around – Marge’s vocals & lyrics. I hate to, but I gotta say if I could compare her voice to anyone currently, it would Gwen Stefani, (or is Stefani even current anymore) not a bad thing unless you loathe Pop music or whatever you wanna call it. Alas this ain’t Pop music & ya ain’t gonna hear nothing about feeling hellagood or dancing unless you get those vibes from songs about Zombies, being mentally ill or fighting against the world for the things you believe in most – a real Punk vibe dwells deep within! There also a few moments of reggae fills although brief, but still enough to warrant the mention. Musically, the album is typical of the Psychobilly genre – upright bass pushed up in the mix, swift drum licks & raging Punk Rock guitar riffs. I normally get a lot of the ‘Billy feel from this genre, (which is what attracts me most) but I’m not feeling it from this album, not that it’s bad, it’s not, it’s just not out front & being shoved down your throat. Think more of a Pop Punk vibe backed with the Psycho flavor.

I can honestly say the average female would dig this album without putting much thought into it, hell, my wife dug it & that says a lot, she’s fairly peculiar about her music. If this album would’ve had the backing of a major label, it would’ve been huge & we might have seen something really neat in the Pop scene, alas that didn’t happen – it never does. Instead we get the same old manufactured bullshit. If you dig Psychobilly, Pop Punk & chics – Mad Marge & The Stonecutters “Liberated” will scratch your itch!