Shalini

Well, it seems that Shalini Chatterjee just wanted to rock on out, and after the updated power-pop textures of 2000s We Want Jelly Donuts, the second full-length from her band Shalini finds her diving head-first into the thick and fuzzy pleasures of 1970s hard rock. Metal Corner hardly goes light on the hooks -- with Mitch Easter serving triple duty as producer, engineer, and lead guitarist, you can expect your fair share of melodies -- but the prominent placement of a vintage Cheap Trick cover offers a great big clue as to the direction Shalini have taken. Along with Chatterjee's smart-gal vocals and the group's full-bodied tunes (most written by Chatterjee, though Easter also turns in a couple of worthwhile compositions), Chatterjee and Easter lay on a thick coat of Marshall-worthy guitar crunch, and thankfully, rather than bogging down the proceedings, it gives the performances a good solid backbone, and Metal Corner comes off as good fun with a solid side-portion of swagger, which a few more bands could use these days. Picks to click: the appropriately titled "Anthem," the downstroke-happy "Synthesize," and the AC/DC-esque "Out of Steam." Slap it in the car stereo and turn it up -- it's that kind of album, and trust me, that's a good thing. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide