"A fierce female voice and some rolling engine-like basslines spell rock'n'roll in dirty major, loud and sexy, a great cocktail if you ask me. Well Hung Heart is Greta Valenti and Robin Davey, a high-energy duo from Orange County with a crisp sound and a taste for shreds to top it off...A catchy track, packed with youthful arrogance at a blues-laced crossroads between The Kills & early Stooges..."
— Tracy Mamoun -- The Deli, Los Angeles (Aug 9, 2012)
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Release Date: 01-March-2013
Genre: Alternative Rock / Garage / Blues
Publisher: [p][c] 2013 GROWvision
Label: GROWvision
Total Time: 37m 18s
Review Date: 20-February-2013
Review Format: Soundcloud Private Listening Party
Bit Rate: 320 kbps
For Fans Of: Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Left Lane Cruiser
Songs In Jivewired Radio Rotation: Devil, This Is Not Love
Best Songs:Savioritis, Devil, Bulls#!t, You Got Me, Die In A Dream, This Is Not Love
Team Photo:Wedding Song, Love Me Baby
Previous Jivewired Review: None
Jivewired Digital One Sheet:http://jivewired.com/wellhungheart
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Get it at:
Artist Website | iTunes | Amazon
*This album does not release until March 1, but the singles This Is Not Love and Devil are available at Well Hung Heart's website as well as iTunes and Amazon.
Track Listing:
01. Bulls#!t 3:50
02. Devil 2:49
03. This Is Not Love 4:39
04. Wedding Song 4:05
05. Savioiritis 3:29
06. You Got Me 3:15
07. Oh Girl 3:34
08. Love Me Baby 3:04
09. If You Want It 3:21
10. Die In A Dream 3:15
11. Get The F Out Of California 1:57
Review:
I get the sense that Robin Davey and Greta Valenti, the duo that make up Well Hung Heart, rarely tread lightly or test the waters before making a splash. One simply needs to listen to the first few seconds of the scorching first song on the band's aptly-titled debut album, Young Enough To Know It All, to know better. There's a lot of big sounds coming from the duo and their hired drummer, and the best way to describe it is to take white-hot, blues-driven, insanely addictive guitar riffs, add firebrand female vocals and nuclear percussion and just stand back and let 'er rip.
I like my boundary pushing, confrontational rock as much as the next person, and when I want emotion in my music, loud and proud is exactly the way I prefer it. Robin Davey is a superb guitarist who has a way of emoting a blues/garage/rock dialectic that speaks as voluminously as the incendiary vocal presence of Greta Valenti. The combination of the two is really unprecedented, and I say this because I can't offer a single comparison that perfectly fits. There are similar artists, but Well Hung Heart is really unique in as far as what they are doing with this album. I keep going back to the Black Keys but that's an easy generalization because of the makeup of the band and somewhat similar garage sound. But Young Enough To Know It All is infinitely better than the 'Keys, even their early, critically acclaimed stuff, and the comparison isn't very fair to Well Hung Heart because they're so much better. Well Hung Heart offers more energy, more muscle, more passion and casts a giant shadow that dwarfs what similar artists are doing currently.
Davey is the driving force. Bulls#!t presents Davey at his face-melting best. The riff is very reminiscent of Hendrix or Led Zeppelin but it's really just electrified delta blues that was originally perfected by Muddy Waters. Davey takes it to an almost enslaving level. Can I really compare Davey to Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page? Of course I can but I don't have to, you'll get the connection instantly on first listen. Valenti's frenzied rap/vocals bring this song to life. When she shouts "Whoooo!" on the bridge it is a knee-buckling moment for both the singer and the listener. Bulls#!t is deliciously fast and furious and is so good it leaves me speechless.
And there's no respite. Bulls#!t segues immediately into Devil, which is similarly fast and furious and is followed by This Is Not Love, a song which thrusts Valenti to the forefront, exposing the high and low ends of her phenomenal range, all in pitch perfect fashion. It's a drenching, exhausting song that leaves you feeling in that just-after-sex moment where you can't decide on seconds or a slight rest and you immediately choose seconds.
The three opening songs offer an amazing start to this record that will leave you legitimately spent. But, beyond Well Hung Heart's facility with intimidatory soundscapes, there's a tactility to their music -- scraped guitar strings, dynamically stabbed chords, reverberating amplifier hums, pounding drums -- that easily lends itself to more cinematic aspirations as well. Several other tracks have a similar vibe to them without borrowing outright from previous songs, showing that even if they weren't entirely catering to a predefined theme on Young Enough To Know It All they were at least taking it into consideration on a near-conscious level.
That combination is at it's best on Savioritis, Die In A Dream and You Got Me. I think those three songs, along with Bulls#!t, encapsulate exactly what Well Hung Heart is trying to do on this album and all offer the best combination of Davey and Valenti. Throw This Is Not Love in that mix as well. Stripping it all down, you are left with ten tracks of blues infused rock and roll at it's accelerated best.
And it works, because anything more diverse would actually seem vulgar and out of place. The age of experimentation in the recording studio has thankfully come to an end, and it is with great enthusiasm that we welcome bands like Well Hung Heart that lead with howling, thunderous guitars and elegiac, sexy vocals. Young Enough To Know It All is bitingly succinct, a sensory workout in the best possible way that offers both classic and modern sensibilities. The album offers explosive beauty without sounding calculated and utter peal without being noisy. Stoic restraint wouldn't fit very well here and I'm okay with that. In short, Young Enough To Know It All is a compelling good time.
About Well Hung Heart:
There is no mistaking the bluesy undercurrent that forms the bedrock of Well Hung Heart's raw and uncompromising Rock sound. British born guitarist Robin Davey cut his teeth with the Blues elite, jamming onstage with the likes of Buddy Guy and recording with Mick Jagger. Davey quickly secured a place as the youngest ever inductee into the British Blues Hall Of Fame, and has built a reputation as an eclectic and cutting edge musical mind.
Singer Greta Valenti grew up amongst the deep-rooted musical traditions of New Orleans. Though the two's early years were spent on opposite sides of the Atlantic, they have both found common ground in their passion for the raw honesty of music, delivered in its most unprocessed and unrestricted form.
With a dose of Hendrix, and a nod to PJ Harvey, Well Hung Heart is just as comfortable channeling Nirvana as they are Leadbelly or Led Zeppelin.
Well Hung Heart record just as they play live - stripped down to the core, void of multiple takes and studio trickery. Well Hung Heart finished off their first year in existence with high profile shows both sides of the Atlantic. Appearing at London's prestigious O2 Academy, and the Make Music Festival in Pasadena, opening for Grimes, Grouplove and Cults.
Well Hung Heart acknowledge that though their influences might stem from the roots, their approach to finding an audience is very much in the present. With a series of self-directed Youtube videos establishing the band's presence, Well Hung Heart have managed to build a burgeoning fan base, both with their blistering live performances, and their creativity in the digital age.
![]()
— Tracy Mamoun -- The Deli, Los Angeles (Aug 9, 2012)
Release Date: 01-March-2013
Genre: Alternative Rock / Garage / Blues
Publisher: [p][c] 2013 GROWvision
Label: GROWvision
Total Time: 37m 18s
Review Date: 20-February-2013
Review Format: Soundcloud Private Listening Party
Bit Rate: 320 kbps
For Fans Of: Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Left Lane Cruiser
Songs In Jivewired Radio Rotation: Devil, This Is Not Love
Best Songs:Savioritis, Devil, Bulls#!t, You Got Me, Die In A Dream, This Is Not Love
Team Photo:Wedding Song, Love Me Baby
Previous Jivewired Review: None
Jivewired Digital One Sheet:http://jivewired.com/wellhungheart
Get it at:
Artist Website | iTunes | Amazon
*This album does not release until March 1, but the singles This Is Not Love and Devil are available at Well Hung Heart's website as well as iTunes and Amazon.
Track Listing:
01. Bulls#!t 3:50
02. Devil 2:49
03. This Is Not Love 4:39
04. Wedding Song 4:05
05. Savioiritis 3:29
06. You Got Me 3:15
07. Oh Girl 3:34
08. Love Me Baby 3:04
09. If You Want It 3:21
10. Die In A Dream 3:15
11. Get The F Out Of California 1:57
Review:
I get the sense that Robin Davey and Greta Valenti, the duo that make up Well Hung Heart, rarely tread lightly or test the waters before making a splash. One simply needs to listen to the first few seconds of the scorching first song on the band's aptly-titled debut album, Young Enough To Know It All, to know better. There's a lot of big sounds coming from the duo and their hired drummer, and the best way to describe it is to take white-hot, blues-driven, insanely addictive guitar riffs, add firebrand female vocals and nuclear percussion and just stand back and let 'er rip.
I like my boundary pushing, confrontational rock as much as the next person, and when I want emotion in my music, loud and proud is exactly the way I prefer it. Robin Davey is a superb guitarist who has a way of emoting a blues/garage/rock dialectic that speaks as voluminously as the incendiary vocal presence of Greta Valenti. The combination of the two is really unprecedented, and I say this because I can't offer a single comparison that perfectly fits. There are similar artists, but Well Hung Heart is really unique in as far as what they are doing with this album. I keep going back to the Black Keys but that's an easy generalization because of the makeup of the band and somewhat similar garage sound. But Young Enough To Know It All is infinitely better than the 'Keys, even their early, critically acclaimed stuff, and the comparison isn't very fair to Well Hung Heart because they're so much better. Well Hung Heart offers more energy, more muscle, more passion and casts a giant shadow that dwarfs what similar artists are doing currently.
Davey is the driving force. Bulls#!t presents Davey at his face-melting best. The riff is very reminiscent of Hendrix or Led Zeppelin but it's really just electrified delta blues that was originally perfected by Muddy Waters. Davey takes it to an almost enslaving level. Can I really compare Davey to Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page? Of course I can but I don't have to, you'll get the connection instantly on first listen. Valenti's frenzied rap/vocals bring this song to life. When she shouts "Whoooo!" on the bridge it is a knee-buckling moment for both the singer and the listener. Bulls#!t is deliciously fast and furious and is so good it leaves me speechless.
And there's no respite. Bulls#!t segues immediately into Devil, which is similarly fast and furious and is followed by This Is Not Love, a song which thrusts Valenti to the forefront, exposing the high and low ends of her phenomenal range, all in pitch perfect fashion. It's a drenching, exhausting song that leaves you feeling in that just-after-sex moment where you can't decide on seconds or a slight rest and you immediately choose seconds.
The three opening songs offer an amazing start to this record that will leave you legitimately spent. But, beyond Well Hung Heart's facility with intimidatory soundscapes, there's a tactility to their music -- scraped guitar strings, dynamically stabbed chords, reverberating amplifier hums, pounding drums -- that easily lends itself to more cinematic aspirations as well. Several other tracks have a similar vibe to them without borrowing outright from previous songs, showing that even if they weren't entirely catering to a predefined theme on Young Enough To Know It All they were at least taking it into consideration on a near-conscious level.
That combination is at it's best on Savioritis, Die In A Dream and You Got Me. I think those three songs, along with Bulls#!t, encapsulate exactly what Well Hung Heart is trying to do on this album and all offer the best combination of Davey and Valenti. Throw This Is Not Love in that mix as well. Stripping it all down, you are left with ten tracks of blues infused rock and roll at it's accelerated best.
And it works, because anything more diverse would actually seem vulgar and out of place. The age of experimentation in the recording studio has thankfully come to an end, and it is with great enthusiasm that we welcome bands like Well Hung Heart that lead with howling, thunderous guitars and elegiac, sexy vocals. Young Enough To Know It All is bitingly succinct, a sensory workout in the best possible way that offers both classic and modern sensibilities. The album offers explosive beauty without sounding calculated and utter peal without being noisy. Stoic restraint wouldn't fit very well here and I'm okay with that. In short, Young Enough To Know It All is a compelling good time.
About Well Hung Heart:
There is no mistaking the bluesy undercurrent that forms the bedrock of Well Hung Heart's raw and uncompromising Rock sound. British born guitarist Robin Davey cut his teeth with the Blues elite, jamming onstage with the likes of Buddy Guy and recording with Mick Jagger. Davey quickly secured a place as the youngest ever inductee into the British Blues Hall Of Fame, and has built a reputation as an eclectic and cutting edge musical mind.
Singer Greta Valenti grew up amongst the deep-rooted musical traditions of New Orleans. Though the two's early years were spent on opposite sides of the Atlantic, they have both found common ground in their passion for the raw honesty of music, delivered in its most unprocessed and unrestricted form.
With a dose of Hendrix, and a nod to PJ Harvey, Well Hung Heart is just as comfortable channeling Nirvana as they are Leadbelly or Led Zeppelin.
Well Hung Heart record just as they play live - stripped down to the core, void of multiple takes and studio trickery. Well Hung Heart finished off their first year in existence with high profile shows both sides of the Atlantic. Appearing at London's prestigious O2 Academy, and the Make Music Festival in Pasadena, opening for Grimes, Grouplove and Cults.
Well Hung Heart acknowledge that though their influences might stem from the roots, their approach to finding an audience is very much in the present. With a series of self-directed Youtube videos establishing the band's presence, Well Hung Heart have managed to build a burgeoning fan base, both with their blistering live performances, and their creativity in the digital age.