Kelsey Friday collides with a new version of Brownie Mary
todd owens dewey and kaye, inc. | pgh, pa United States | 08/30/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"With that attitude, Friday came home from Los Angeles, where she was pursuing a solo career, and rebuilt Brownie Mary to make a record for the love of it. While she was in L.A. working with songwriters, she says, "I kept coming back to Brownie Mary, [thinking] 'I don't to be a pop singer, I don't want to have any candy-coatedness.' I kept coming back to the fact that I'm a rock singer -- that's who I am, that's what Brownie Mary was. Why try to get away from that when I spent so much time developing that?" Rich Jacques, her songwriting partner in the band since 1992, had moved to L.A. himself, so when Friday reassembled Brownie Mary earlier this year, she grabbed guitarists Mike Marks (a former member who went on to front Push) and Jeff Thurston (from the Vibro Kings and Too Tall Jones), bassist Chris Lohr and drummer Jay Constable.
Kelsey Friday doesn't sound like a woman who has folded up her tent on "Collide," the latest record from a reconstituted Brownie Mary. In fact, Friday sounds more driven than ever on what is clearly the best record in the band's 10-year run. "Collide" hits the streets four years post "Naked," the national-label record that was supposed to be the band's breakthrough. Instead, it led to a break-up two years ago. Safe to say, in the late '90s, the frontwoman got a firsthand look at how the music industry can mess with your head. "This business is so totally [fouled] up right now, I don't have any stupid expectations anymore," she says. They went into producer Rick Witkowski's studio with a batch of older Friday-Jacques songs and newer songs that she'd written in L.A. with "song doctors" Kevin Hunter and Brian Howes. The older songs, like the tense ballad "Fear" and the sexy rocker "Collide," she says, "had been songs that our record label [Blackbird] wasn't really into. We were like, 'That's too bad, 'cause they're really good songs. But they were looking for a novelty song from us to put us on the charts." Friday wasn't surprised to find that the current Brownie Mary rocks a lot more than the band ever did. "That's Jeff Thurston, that is absolutely his influence," she says. "Going into the studio with this record, I knew we would have more of an edge and I was so totally open to that. Everyone just played from the gut and [Witkowski] has such an amazing ear for bringing out melodies and accentuating hooks. One song she wrote with Thurston, the driving "Who's Got Your Back," sounds like a long-lost Pat Benatar track. "Do you know how many people are saying that?" she says. "I'm like, 'Oh my God, don't tell me we made a dated record?' But you know, if you're gonna pick an '80s star, I'd rather it be her than anyone else. It's a total Pat Benatar thing. I loved her. I wanted to be her. But when we were making the album, never once did she cross my mind. Throughout the whole process, we never sat down and said, 'We're gonna go for this kind of vibe, go for a Sheryl Crow sound or anybody.' " Without a label behind it, Friday doesn't know what will happen with "Collide." Her plan is to put it out there and hope for some kind of happy collision with listeners. "If it's our time, it's our time," she says. "If not, there's just nothing I can do about it. We've worked hard, toured all over the place. Even if this band hasn't been the one that's been with me for the last 10 years, each one of them has busted their [rear-ends] for years and years and years. More than anything in the world, I'd love to share something larger with them. But I think we're all just a bit jaded and just a little realistic...""
Brownie Mary is back with a bang!
T. J. Kramer | Columbus, OH United States | 08/30/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Even with a completely new back-up band behind front-woman Kelsey Friday, Brownie Mary has returned better than ever. Kelsey has not lost her touch at writing poignant lyrics to which almost anyone can relate and the band still rocks behind her and even sounds more mature. Like their major label debut, Naked, 4 years ago, this collection of alterna-rock jams and stoic ballads convinces you to listen to the entire disc at once; not one of these amazing songs is to be skipped. This CD is a must buy for any fan of regional alternative rock bands!"
