ROCKFACE - Derek & the Darling - Buy It!

Come on, we all do it. The sound of a plaintive guitar wails on the radio, Richie Sambora from just about any 'it's all the girls fault' songs from the 8os or 90s, when you hear the first strums from the amazing fingers of The Edge, or hear the first chords from any of those great Janet songs from Rhythm Nation, or even when you heard the songs from the first Daughtry album. You almost feel the muscles in your face tighten involuntarily, your lips and teeth part as you just out your jaw, you turn your head to the side, and it starts to keep time with the beat, bobbing back and forth. That, my friends, is the start of you making your very own ROCKFACE. Add a whole bunch of talent, good looks and a touch of humor, and you see how Derek Nicoletto and Sammi Garett make their ROCKFACE.



Or you can buy their debut EP, which starts off with the amazing Hustler With A Rescue Plan. As you can tell from the video, it is all kinds of hooky and catchy, sounding like something that should be playing on my radio in a regular rotation. The second track is You, a rock song with anthemic overtones, only pulled back by the personal nature of the song. Sammi sings the lead on this one. Track number three throws me off, in a fantastic way. Suddenly is a synth-based song, tugging memories of Yaz at their height, yet maintains a current sound and feel, more homage than reproduction. Next on the list is Lucky Lola, an interesting melange of styles, incorporating classic rock, a bit of Pop with R&B stylings, and a strong portion of alternative rock catered by the strong vocals from Sammi. Alabaster Sky is the final cut, with Derek singing an acoustic lullaby, and about halfway through, the strings kick in, offering further testament to a greater level of Pop music, lifting a strong song to greatness.



All in all, I can't tell you how much I love this EP. I knew I loved Derek's voice as a rock singer - his vocals in Telling On Trixie were amazing - and wasn't sure about him in a new project. Well, those worries were nothing more than wasted energy. He is, of course, fantastic, and the incorporation of Sammi's voice often borders on genius. While the tonality of their voices is very different, they blend so well together. So I say run, don't walk, or at least click away, and get ROCKFACE from iTunes here. Buy it now!