Dressy Bessy’s cute name--from a vintage doll--and association with the Apples in Stereo, who share guitarist John Hill, might make indie fans expect a pretty twee experience from this third, self-titled full-length. The album’s one example of Apples-style bounciness, "Blink Twice," finds Tammy Ealom cheerily singing of finishing off a bottle of whiskey. Crunchy chords borrowed from Living After Midnight for "This May Hurt (a little)" and the grinding rhythms of "Georgie Blue" make clear that singer Ealom’s vision is pop mostly in the sense of catchiness. If she were a Peanuts character, she’d be a more clued-in Peppermint Patty. With her sweetly raspy voice, Ealom illuminates small facets of girl life that often escape other songwriters: the friendship gone sour of "This May Hurt," the fraught relationship with Mom in "Girl, You Shout!" And her spare guitar parts lock in with Hill’s leads to push the tunes along and add moments that ultimately lift the record to another level. --Rickey Wright
Electrified Music Artist : Dressy Bessy Music Label : Transdreamer Release Date : 2005-06-14 Artistopia's Price :$13.41
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There won't be many dentists recommending this album. Dressy Bessy specialize in the sweet sticky stuff that has absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever. The Denver quartet aren't folks to stew about their problems. Instead, they bask on the sunny side of the street and write 60s-influenced pop songs--with more than a whiff of 70s new wave. Sitting in their loud, colorful clothes and plugging in their vintage amps, they do just as their title track suggests. Tammy Ealom's much noted chirpy Go-Go girl vocals benefit greatly from the extra heft that boyfriend John Hill (of the retro-pop Apples in Stereo) brings with his extra-saturated guitar. The extra (over)drive adds ferocity to the kitschy-cool of the super-catchy "Second Place" and "She Likes It" among others. They even slow it down if the occasion calls for it ("Small"), striking comfy poses on a Parisian rainy day ("Who'd Stop the Rain"). Yet, the sunshine always seems to peek out from behind the clouds. --Jaan Uhelszki
