The Donnas

"Gold Medal"

Atlantic Records

Grade: A

The Donnas may look like the girls next door, but their fourth album proves they can rock with the boys.

In the spirit of The Ramones with the sound of the Sex Pistols, The Donnas belt out catchy tunes one would hear on a night ride in a smoky back seat. Most listeners know The Donnas from their previous hit "Take It Off" from the "Spend the Night" album that shot up the charts for developing artists.

Brett Anderson (vocals and piano), Torry Castellanno (percussion and backing vocals), Maya Ford (bass, backing vocals) and Allison Robertson (guitars and backing vocals) are out to prove they are more grown up by stretching their musical horizons and honing their skills as artists.

The most interesting aspect of the album is the colorful lyrical rollercoaster the women put listeners on.

"Gold Medal" is an in-your-face look into the dysfunctional and sometimes volatile relationships in which the band members found themselves.

In "Friends Like Mine" and "It Takes One to Know One," male bashing takes the front seat. "I may not be a man/ But you're not one either" is the ultimate cut-down and an example of what the "I'm rubber; you're glue" measures a fight with an immature partner can come to.

"I Don't Want to Know (If you Don't Want me)" is a stalker's view of love through a candle-lit window. "I watched you through the window last night/And I thought I saw a girl in the candlelight É And I sure hope that was your sister" displays the obvious, obsessive feature of a crush left unrequited.

The Donnas pulled it together for a more grown-up sounding album while still being true to their partying heritage.

It's just a shame that none of them are actually named "Donna."

-- By Rindy Metcalf, News Editor