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Aug 14, 2024 Web Exclusive By Frank Valish

With 2001’s The Donnas Turn 21, the Palo Alto, CA foursome, who started the band as punk rock teenagers way back in 1993, began their transformation into a full-fledged rock and roll band. There were still some fits and starts on Turn 21, but by the time of the band’s next album, Spend the Night, a year later, the transition was complete. Reissued here by Real Gone Music on hot pink vinyl, Spend the Night makes a point and it makes it fiercely.

Like Guns N’ Roses in women’s jeans, The Donnas bust out of the gate with the trio of balls to the wall rockers “It’s On the Rocks,” “Take It Off,” and “Who Invited You.” Double (or in most cases single) entendre was part of the band’s modus operandi, which upped the sleaze factor. But instead of focusing on the titillating (a cursory reading of the song titles alone provide all the proof you might need on this count), the focus should to be on Spend the Night’s catapulting The Donnas into rarified rock and roll air. These were no longer teenagers banging out cute punk rock. The Donnas of 2002 were a group of seasoned musicians who had mastered their instruments and parlayed it into kick ass rock and roll. The guitars slammed. The rhythm section anchored like a runaway train. And singer Donna A commanded the tunes like the most cocksure frontman in any of your older brother’s machismo-forward ‘70s rock band.

With Spend the Night, The Donnas flipped the script on rock and roll’s traditionally male enterprise. And thankfully. (www.realgonemusic.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10