Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

Demetra is both the name of a band, its featured member, and its new CD. Demetra the band is a quartet from Queens, and Demetra the lead singer, keyboardist, and focus of the band has got that Jersey girl thing going on, which is Joespeak for “she’s irresistible.” Demetra, the debut CD, is irresistible as well, however, and not just because of the band’s lead singer.

Demetra has got the Blondie thing going on that Blondie had before they started taking themselves too seriously, trashy guitars and songs about trashy girls and decadent relationships. You can probably draw a direct line from the Shangri-Las to Blondie to Demetra. I’m also reminded, for some reason, of Carla DeVito when she was singing backup for Meatloaf; I’m not sure why, it’s just part of Demetra’s kitsch, particularly on songs like Beam Me Up Scotty and Girlfight. The majority of the tracks clock in at around three minutes, which is a good thing, with a couple of them a minute over and a minute under. Demetra isn’t trying for a Pink Floyd thing, either, which is just great as well, guitars and drums and keys and lots of chutzpah, with the band coming off like they’re just a little better than they really are, and y’know what? That’s the spirit of rock, distilled to its purest form. Girlfight starts off with cheerleader chant and swipes the “Girls Girls” line from Motley Crue, Make A Scene is pure Deborah Harry, and it’s really hard not to love every second of it. In fact, Demetra sneaks up on you; the first listen, it sounds kind of derivative, but the second and third time through you can really appreciate what’s going on here. If you know any nineteen year-old waitresses who work the weekend late night shift at pizza restaurants and have their noses pierced, you can’t listen to Demetra without thinking of them, particularly, the track Even A Cowgirl Gets The Blues. If there’s a track on this disc that doesn’t work, it might be 5/16 Goodbye, but it’s followed by Ur Killin’ My Buzz, which I bet is a killer in live performance, probably as a closer.

Demetra is one of those discs that will play in the back of your head even when you listen to other music, or when you’re trying to get to sleep at night. This is a strong intro from a band whose talent, from all appearances, has yet to be fully tapped. Recommended.