Taylor Momsen and Ben Phillips are the heart and soul—or perhaps more aptly, the rock and roll—at the core of NY based post-grunge band, The Pretty Reckless; and rock they do. Despite every inch of my being telling me to steer clear—that The Pretty Reckless, fronted by teen sensation and star of TVs Gossip Girl, Taylor Momsen, was sure to be another “placate the superstar and maybe make a few sales” type of situation, I gave it a listen. And man, am I damn glad I did.
The Pretty Reckless are the real deal; I assure you they’re no Hilary Duff record deal, no Eddie Murphy featuring Rick James, no Joaquin Phoenix mental-break-down band. The 17 year old Momsen comes to the plate with a powerful set of pipes and an attitude that cross-breeds Courtney Love and Debbie Harry; somewhat ironically, when I first heard some of their tracks, I thought to myself, “This is what Hole could’ve been if Love wasn’t such a mess.”
What really sets the band, and Momsen in particular, apart from the Hannah Montana’s, Leighton Meister’s, and other actresses turned vocalists is the fact that she really does have a voice, as evidenced in this video. Anyone can sound great with auto-tune and the right producer, just ask Kanye West, but to be sound great unplugged, with no mic, well that’s something else entirely. This video serves as Exhibit A in the case for The Pretty Reckless’ legitimacy in the realm of post-grunge alt rock and I’ll be damned if it’s not convincing.
P.S. For your guitarists out there, Ben Phillips is truly a beast of rhythm, note his flourish at 2:42.
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