PATRICIA VONNE

RATTLE MY CAGE

2013-10-12

If all you heard was the rocking title cut of Patricia Vonne's new release you could be forgiven for thinking that you had found Annie Lennox of the Eurythmics fronting a hard rock outfit. Sharing Lennox's big, expressive voice, Vonne is a powerful singer who makes easy work of commanding center stage. In addition to power, she also demonstrates great finesse that evokes the almost classical approach to vocals of the likes of Annie Haslem of the progressive rock band, Renaissance on tracks such as Ravage My Heart (co-written with Alejandro Escovedo) and Que Maravilla. Just when you think you've gotten her slotted as a hard rocker, Vonne does a complete 180 and rips into the surf-rocker, Mexicali de Chispa, the rockabilly gem, This Cat's in the Doghouse, which she co-wrote with Rosie Flores and the lush ballad, Bitter Deed. Paris Trance is a swing blue gem while Dulce Refugio is a latin-infused number that paints a dark picture of insomnia filled nights and would fit nicely on the soundtrack to one of her brother Robert Rodriquez's films (From Dusk to Dawn, Machete, Sin City).  Rounding things out on this diverse set is Tequileros, a tequila drinking song she dedicates to her grandfather. A disc that is hard to slot, fun to play.  Smitty