This is pretty interesting. Daughter Eve's second CD shows off a relatively original brand of rock--a fusion of modern, girl-fronted, guitar-driven, alterna-pop with 70's classic rock musicianship.  Singer Marnie strikes me as Letters to Cleo or Miss Angie trying to belt it out like old Heart.  In fact, a cover of "Barracuda" or "Magic Man" would have fitted in nicely here. Marnie can be sugar-sweet or growl like an old blueswoman, as she sings about life with God always nearby. 

The band flat out kicks, borrowing a variety of riffs, tricks, leads, and tones from rock's rich back catalog.  And yet, my feelings about this album are mixed.  There's something definitely refreshing and appealing about Daughter Eve, but they have an almost progressive angularity that gets in the way, an awkwardness to some of the vocals and songs that they just can't shake.  I'll keep listening, but I'm hoping they take some of the sure-fire potential here and mature in a more focused direction next time around. 
 
Contact:  17291 Irvine Blvd. Suite 257 
               Tustin, CA 92780 
                (714)544-4557 
 
 

By Josh Spencer 

Let's ride! The three guys and one girl (vocals/guitar) in Daughter Eve show immediate talent, and I jump eagerly on board as the record opens with the rockin' title cut. They have a good feel for writing solid rock and roll songs that roll on without much drag. A good feel for rock lyrics as well, and I enjoy the Christian themes and word pictures delivered by Marnie's flavorful vocals. She can smooth it out or rough it up, wherever the song's path takes her. 

The album has a retro feel along the lines of old Led Zeppelin or Barnabas. The lack of effects in the production weakens the effect, though; I would have loved for Jimmy Page to have produced this! The rhythm section needs that Zeppelin punch. Make the drums more muscular in the mix like John Bonham's, give Marnie a little more vocal-mike treatment ala Robert Plant, and power up Paul Stebner's guitar a bit, and this record would improve vastly. You  wouldn't have to do a thing with the songs, just heavy them up some. 

The band proves it has what it takes to do a good record, with these clever songs and the crack musicianship. I'll definitely play it in the backyard when my friends are over. 

By Tony LaFianza