Since the Donnas seem to be all the rage these days – and because I generally like female musicians of the non-sappy, pop queen variety – I decided to pick up the foursome’s latest release “Spend the Night” and see what all the hype is about. I had heard from a variety of sources that the Donnas are being hailed as the female Ramones so I expected their music to be simple punk rock, with equally simple lyrics that rocks just as much as the forefathers of punk did. What “Spend the Night” provides is almost what I anticipated, but wasn’t quite what I bargained for.

The Donnas have a lot of things going for them – the group consists of four ladies in their early twenties who have the pouty rock n’ roll badass chick thing down pat, they each play their own instruments, they write their own music, they’ve got a catchy sound, and their lyrics are almost all about partying. The fact that the Donnas write and play their own stuff gives them instant points in my book – especially during this age of manufactured pop superstars and “bands” that couldn’t write their own material if they tried. And these girls can play! No, they aren’t virtuosos and they aren’t reinventing rock music, but what they do they do well. Most of all, “Spend the Night” is a fun album perfect for those who like catchy rock that borders on pop. The Donnas are most definitely a party band and if that’s your thing you will most likely dig this album.

“Spend the Night” contains some great music, though it sounds less like the Ramones to me and more like a rocked up Go-Go’s or a modern day version of the Runaways. The Donnas are definitely not punk and I think the comparison to the Ramones ends at the fact the girls in the band all go by the name Donna – though this album also includes their real names. Some of the songs here are definite good time rock n’ roll gems, like current radio favorite “Take it Off” and the equally appealing “Who Invited You.” Both songs have just the right mix of attitude and melodic flair and they are easily my favorites on “Spend the Night.” There are a few other memorable tracks as well, like “You Wanna Get Me High” and “Too Bad About Your Girl” – which fit the standard rock formula perfectly and have hilarious lyrics. I love that the Donnas take a tongue-in-cheek approach to a lot of topics most female artists don’t, like drinking and sex, and attack them with reckless abandon.

My biggest problem with “Spend the Night” is many of the songs are entirely too repetitive and sophomoric, even for a party band. I find myself bored with a number of the tracks, like “Dirty Denim” and “Take Me to the Backseat.” It all begins to sound the same and the lyrics just fall flat – and I think for this kind of music to be really outstanding it has to be consistently good throughout. The Donnas miss the mark a bit, but maybe it’s because I’m likely a good 10 years older than the group’s target audience. “Spend the Night” is an album I’ll come back to, if only for the handful of great tracks. The girls are still young though and have plenty of time to really hone their skills, so I’ll be interested in checking out their next album. It can only get better from here.

Recommended: Yes