Girl Authority consists of nine girls ages 8-13 that
cover songs by female artists. Think the Kids Bop series,
but with personality, as each girl in this group has their own
character (think the Spice Girls) and the group uses real musicians
instead of pre-programmed music.
Backing the likes of “Rock and Roll Girl” Tarr,
“Country Girl” Crystal and “Boho Girl” Jess are a group of
musicians from New Orleans, who had just been through Hurricane
Katrina, but you wouldn’t know from listening to their professional
performance here. The songs include a wide range of material, from
80s artists like the Go-Gos and Cyndi Lauper up to Gwen
Stefani.
Each girl here handles the lead vocals on one track
in order to showcase her talent: Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl”
kicks things off with a group effort, followed by Pat Benatar’s
“Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” Tarr delivers a performance riddled
with attitude and defiance on the latter track, but both show a
wide range of style. Carly “Glamour Girl” tackles Rihanna’s “Pon De
Replay,” an energetic dance track, followed by Gina “Urban Girl”
taking on Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful.” These two made the CD a
success for me — going from an upbeat dance track to a soulful
ballad captures the diversity and range present here.
After listening to this release multiple times, I’m
convinced this is a legit professional band. Sure, “Girls Just Want
to Have Fun” is delivered in a fun and goofy spirit like the
original, but the other selections are more thoughtful and daring.
SheDaisy’s “Don’t Worry ‘Bout A Thing” is probably the toughest
vocal piece because of the rapid fire delivery, but Crystal carries
it off. The tracks where the girls all sing together capture a
sense of fun and energy that many bands just can’t achieve.
I wish the liner notes said who sang and wrote each track,
something the Kids Bop series doesn’t do either. Perhaps
listing the original artists could inspire other girls to discover
them — maybe “Love Is A Battlefield” or Joan Jett’s stellar “Up
Your Alley” would see a surge in popularity. Maybe the more
thoughtful Madonna tune “Papa Don’t Preach” would hit home with
these fans and allow a discussion about teenage pregnancy with
their child. The dialogue can definitely go both ways.
In summary, Girl Authority make a powerful statement
with their debut. The range of material is diverse and taps into
multiple genres. I look forward to their next release.
