The Beautiful Girls
(San Dumo Records)
The new album of all male alt-rock band the Beautiful Girls< ironically sounds a lot like the music of that other famous group of males with a seemingly incongruous band name, the Barenaked Ladies. Let’s hope that the kind of good karma that has won the Barenaked Ladies worldwide acclaim will rub off on their stellar follower in the future. This smooth guitar rhythms reminiscent of the old South mixed with contemporary–styled rap featured on the band’s new release, Learn Yourself, should win the Beautiful Girls a spot as the new favorite among hip hop, rock and possibly even bluegrass fans.
With rolling acoustic guitar rhythms and soft vocals, the music of the Beautiful Girls could pass for something in the genre of mellow rockers like the Dave Matthews Band, David Gray or the famed college band, Dispatch. But it is with the addition of cunning rap solos to gentle melodies and smooth crooning that the Beautiful Girls make their unique mark. Unlike many contemporary rap songs, those of the Beautiful Girls do not replace any sense of musicality with redundancy or a booming bass. A surprisingly high standard of music is maintained throughout this album, and the emotional lyrics sung by a genuine vocalist provide a much-needed breath of fresh air from the hum drum music of our day. The intermittent raps add a jolt of spice to the already piquant brew, and everything somehow just seems to work for the band.
Although there are only three members in the Beautiful Girls, specifically singer/guitar player Mat McHugh, bass player Clay McDonald and drummer Mitch Connelly, the fullness of the music does not suffer and a superior musical quality is maintained throughout the ten songs featured on this album. According to their website, the group is “at the forefront of the new roots and groove music movement.” Judging by the positive radio response to this independent release, the Beautiful Girls might just be onto something.
Currently on tour across the United States, Japan and Australia, the boys of this band were most recently praised by Jack Johnson during a performance on the Jack Johnson, G. Love, Donovan concert tour circuit. If you like to listen to just about every kind of music—from rap and hip hop to blues and roots music to rock and pop, you are sure to enjoy this avant-garde blend of hip hop and soft rock. Think of the Dido—Eminem, Jay-Z-Beatles (The Grey Album), or Ben Harper and other acoustic rock rhythms mingling with modern rap, and enjoy!
—MaryCatherine Brouder