Berry'd Alive

The Groovie Ghoulies are big fans of Chuck Berry; they share a simple but universal lyrical appeal (substitute monsters and cheesy sci-fi for malt shops and hot rods) and a primal, stripped-down rock & roll sound. Of course the Ghoulies exist on a much lower level in the overall scheme of things but not due to any incompetence on their part. As Berry'd Alive, their seven-song tribute to Chuck Berry, shows, the group haven't lost an ounce of their innocent, joyful sound as they rip through some of the Master's finest numbers like "Talkin' Bout You," "Come On," "Carol," and a couple of more obscure tracks like "Betty Jean" and "All Aboard." Kepi's vocals capture Berry's wide-eyed love of pop culture, while Roach's guitar is more Ramones than Berry, but she can reel off familiar licks with authority and you won't find a more invigoratingly mindless (in a good way) 14 minutes on disc anytime soon. It won't change your life and probably only Ghoulie fans will appreciate it, but the disc is a fitting tribute to Berry and shows just how long-lived and perfect his songs are. Also what an unjustly underrated band the Groovie Ghoulies are.