Lipstick on a Pig

Marinol Nation CD review: LIPSTICK ON A PIG By: Dan Brisebois ~ www.canadianbands.com The debut album from Marinol Nation is an eclectic blend of every corner of the gamet - from heavy industrial beats to country-twinged pop, with a healthy dose of blues and roots thrown in for good measure. Lipstick on a Pig is 13 tracks strong - a reflection of a wide array of influences, full of quirky subtleties with a solid musical background. The title track is a country ditty complete with guitar twang about someone ditching the wife. Along with 'The Deja Vu Blues,' a clever rhthymic number about the second time 'round love, and like the album as a whole, the songs are written from experience. The mix of tales of broken hearts, personal battles, social commentaries, and battling hiV are blended together with well crafted and often catchy hooks. The Delta slide in the 'music biz' anthem 'The Music Whore,' and the hard-driving rockers 'Marinol Nation' and 'It Ain't The Life I Wanted' showcase a record slick on production - without unnecessary and diluting excess. The maturity shown is quite above the all-to-often norm from a debut album. The level of effort put into the project is evidence there was a definite intent to make you stop and take notice. 'It's Time To Burn The Bibes' is a rant against extremism, fuelled by the Ground Zero Mosque, and like 'The Zimbabwe Reggae Blues' are lyrically scathing on several levels, and definitely show Martin's not one to mince feelings in his songs. 'My Fairweather Friend' shows attitude in the studio, and is one of the better alt-rock tracks in the last few years and like several tracks on the album, balance out an overall solid effort.