Artist To Watch: The Pretty Reckless

If you had told me I’d be introducing Taylor Momsen to the site a few years ago, when she was just known for her role as the innocent-turned bad girl Jenny Humphrey on The CW’s Gossip Girl, I would have told you that it wasn’t possible. But, even I can be swayed. When I finally let the preconceived wall, built up by all the actors-turned-wannabe rockstars before her, break down I was shocked to find something I have been longing for in The Pretty Reckless. 

Momsen leads the band of rockers with her talented and raw vocals, which are made up of equal parts Fiona Apple and Courtney Love flavored with a little Debbie Harry for flare.  And in a world where even the most legendary rock chicks turn to over produced sounds and vocals to catapult them into mainstream, Momsen need not follow suit.  Only 17, the newest rock n’ roll heroine is well beyond her years — going back to the days where truly talented musicians take the spotlight. 

The band’s debut Light Me Up is fueled with full-throttle ragers, grunge-worthy power ballads, and punchy blues-rock anthems that have all the makings of a great headlining showcase.  “It’s heavier than people might expect from me,” says Momsen, “but this album is the most honest expression of who I truly am.”  Even though it wasn’t long ago that she realized who that was, she threw out the opportunity to be just another teen starlet and buckled into what she had long-asipred to do.

The album’s lyrical content includes the proverbial “sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll” you’d come to expect from any great rock record, but it’s clear that these tunes are written from the perspective of a flourishing teen growing up in the public eye.  “The record is about life,” she says. “It covers everything: love, death, and music itself. It’s rock and roll. It’s sex. It’s drugs. It’s religion. It’s politics. Each song tells a story about the trials and tribulations and emotional struggles that I’ve experienced or observed. It’s not a happy pop record, but it’s not Satan-worshiping either. The lyrics aren’t meant to be taken literally, they are open to interpretation.”

The album’s lead single “Make Me Wanna Die” is the heaviest head-banger, and worth your $1.29 for the download, while “You” showcases an acoustic guitar melody accompanied by a full set of strings.  “My Medicine”, “Factory Girl”, and “Miss Nothing” are groovy party jams reminiscent of late-90’s Hole.  But, it’s the album’s more tender moments, “Just Tonight” and “Nothing Left to Lose” that showcases the depth of this front(wo)man’s vocal ability.

Growing up around music — she says she began humming melodies before she could talk and started writing songs at age five — Momsen credits seeing a White Stripes show when she was only nine years old as the defining moment for her chosen musical path. “Before that, the only concert I’d been to was Britney Spears,” says the singer, songwriter, and guitarist. “But once I saw Jack White onstage, that was it. I grew up as a dancer and I thought you had to dance to be a girl in the music industry. Then I saw the White Stripes and I was like, ‘No, you don’t. I can do that.’” And she has.  Light Me Up entered the UK rock charts at #1 and stayed firmly in the top spot for six consecutive weeks.  With little promotion in the States, the physical disc dropped last month and is steadily climbing Billboard.

“I loved Led Zeppelin, The Who, Pink Floyd, Audioslave, Soundgarden, Oasis, and Nirvana. That’s what I listened to. My rock idols are all men.” And when Momsen hits the stage, she fronts her all-male band much like the classic rockers who inspire her.  Only time will tell if The Pretty Reckless will have the same fate as some of her favorite rock icons and predecessors, but if I was putting money on it, this might be the point I go all in.

Download Light Me Up on iTunes now and stayed tuned for more information on The Pretty Reckless.