The Gemz – Blue is For Girls / 2006 StreetBeat / 13 Tracks / http://www.gemz.com / http://www.streetbeatrecords.com / Reviewed 24 July 2006

I’m still not sure exactly why this album was sent over for review. Sure, I can say that I tolerate acts like Hilary Duff, but the vast majority of individuals in that pop genre are just not very impressive. This includes Paris Hilton, Brooke Hogan, and Ashlee Simpson; I like the movie soundtrack for Josie and the Pussycats, but that’s about it. The opening track to the CD is “Girls Love”, and this is the perfect example of a track that could make it to the Radio Disney charts.

All five singers have parts on the disc, and have distinctly different voices. That is a plus, and another plus for “Blue is For Girls” is that the sets of vocals are not modified to the point where the differences disappear. It takes a few tracks, but The Gemz get back into the pop groove during “Dance The Night Away”. This track again presses all the buttons needed to go and make a hit; the tracks that do not necessarily find radio success are missing a button push. “Living On A Spaceship” is a track that moves slightly away from the pop construct that has been the bread and butter of The Gemz and is a move into an adult contemporary type of rock. The vocal harmonies are where the band succeed the most. Having five singers usually means that there are either individuals left out for a few tracks or that the final result is a jumbled mess of individuals trying to gain dominance, but The Gemz are able to have everyone contribute in a meaningful way.

Another hit for The Gemz comes during “She’s Got A Boyfriend”, a song that ties together the drumbeat with the lead vocals. This uniting of two different points of a Gemz track does not happen quite as often as one would think, but it does sound nice when it happens. This is another pop album for the market; keep this fact in mind when one is looking for an album to purchase. If one is not into pop music, the strides forward that The Gemz make are not nearly as impressive as they could be. However, if the band is able to get this album in the hands of a major-label A&R person, there is a good chance that they could be the next big thing in tweener pop. Give it a go. Top Tracks: You’re No Good, Blue is for Girls

Rating: 6.0/10

[JMcQ]