Description
Pretty Girls Do Ugly Things, produced by Charlie Benante, is a celebration of Harvey's broad taste in music and a determined push far beyond the self-imposed limitations of modern hard rock - There's the redemptive, riff-heavy charge of "You Only Live Twice," the martial tempo and shout-along fury of "Screenagers," and the biting "Sick Ones." Some of Harvey's friends also throw down instrumentation on the album: Black Label Society frontman Zakk Wylde added his harmonic squeals to "Hell Or Hollywood," Motley Crue guitarist John 5 provided extra spice to "Sick Ones," and guitarist Attila Voros lays down the gauntlet on "Already Dead."
Then there's the reflective southern-rock drawl of "Black Mud Honey," the bruised, melodic sweep of "Other Side of You." Two of the most powerful songs on the album, "Black Mud Honey" is a fever dream in a hot desert - Harvey's boots kicking up swirls of dirt as the protagonist discovers she can't be with the man she's pining for. "Other Side of You" rides a brighter wave, blending heartland storytelling with a euphoric chorus.
"Sex and Cigarettes" is a bluesy metal burner Benante wrote 15 years ago and then filed away. Raw and raunchy, the song is equal parts KISS and Thin Lizzy. That and the rambunctious "Hell or Hollywood" recall a time when Harvey was living on the edge and chasing a dream.
"Most of my songs are autobiographical," Harvey says. "I like to write about real experiences so I can feel them when I'm onstage. I love songs that tell stories, and I want people to listen to them and go, 'Man, I've been through that.' For many years, music and the arts were my only escape. When I heard a song that I could relate to, it meant everything to me."
Harvey learned a great deal when recording the album. "Before The Violent Hour, I never had a chance to explore everything I wanted to do with my voice," she says. "I was worried some of these songs were out of my range. I felt vulnerable singing in these different styles." Harvey's poignant lyrics and broad vocal range shine from track to track. She exhales lilting melodies, belts out impactful sonorous vocals, or roars like a banshee.
The result is more than a collection of songs. Pretty Girls Do Ugly Things captures Harvey at a point where experience, vulnerability, and musical freedom have converged, giving her the space to explore every side of her voice and reclaim the power she says she lost along the way. The Violent Hour isn't Carla Harvey trying to recreate her past. It's what happens when all of her strange lives finally end up in the same room.
