Leiana- Lucky #3
released May 18, 2010 on FOF/EMI
Leiana is a group comprised simply of singer Leiana, Rob Caggiano (Anthrax), Sean Danielson (Smile Empty Soul), Brett Scallions (Fuel, The Doors), and John Tempesta and Ken Schalk (Candiria). If you need further background, Leiana was influenced by 70s British punk and 80s So-Cal hardcore. These influences certainly show in the music. Upon first listen, I believe that Leiana has a style similar to singers such as Joan Jett, Lita Ford and to a lesser extent, Gwen Stefani. To start off this album, “Nothing=You” is fast paced and sounds similar to Bad Religion in style with just a slight hint of The Distillers as well. It’s a good starting point for sure. Some tracks that piqued my interest are “Change” (similar in style but faster-paced), “Down To You” (very Green Day-esque in nature but that isn’t a bad thing), “Love Don’t Matter” (arguably a strong track), “Happy Now” and “I Don’t Wanna Be” (another strong track that evokes Joan Jett and Pat Benatar among others). Basically, it’s hard to describe Leiana’s music without name-dropping but it’s catchy, well-done and it will probably be mainstream before long if it isn’t already. Certainly worth checking out if you like artists that take the best of the punk and hardcore genres and add a growl or two to the mix. I like Leiana and I don’t see why you shouldn’t either.
FCC: Check
Try: 1, 2, 3, *4*, 9, *12*