There Is a Difference

The Demolition Doll Rods obviously like it raw, from their barely-there stage outfits to the primitive thunder of their blues-shot two-guitars-and-a-drum-kit assault, and they haven't dressed their sound (or themselves) up much at all for their fourth long-player, There Is a Difference. Musically, this doesn't offer much of a changeup over their previous work, though Margaret Doll Rod's soulful vocal acrobatics and Danny Doll Rod's gnarly fuzzed-out guitar figures are certainly shown to their best advantage, especially on the frenetic "Booty Call," the sensual ooze of "Baby Say Unh," and a pleading cover of "Open Up Your Door" (recorded many moons before by New Jersey garage outfit Richard & the Young Lions). If there is a difference with this album, it's that the Doll Rods seem to have begun exploring the tenuous relationship between the physical and the spiritual with this disc. While most of the tunes sound as aggressively horny as ever (and this has always been one sex-obsessed trio), in the later innings the Doll Rods begin wrapping their mitts around gospel music, with a noisy but seemingly sincere version of "Amazing Grace," followed by an equally primitive and heartfelt medley of old spirituals. Are the Demolition Doll Rods trying to reconcile their physical appetites with their spiritual needs? Or is embracing the Man Upstairs the last way to startle their jaded fans? It's hard to say either way, but fans looking for high-quality sleaze rock get that and a bit more with There Is a Difference; besides, a little spiritual purification couldn't hurt anyone interested in this combo.