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Written by John Kujawski Friday, 31 December 2004 18:00

Songs like “Lipstick” and “Simple Things” have such great melodies, you can easily kill a weekend just listening to those two songs.

Sometimes when I think of marbles, I do not think happy thoughts. I think of the famous scene on Little House on the Prairie where Laura Ingles was trying to play a game of marbles with her friend and the town bully came by smashed them all with the bottom of his boot. Luckily, the new recording from Manda and the Marbles is a far happier experience.

Manda and the Marbles hail from Columbus, Ohio, and offer a very loud and fast-paced rock show when the three-piece plays live. The guitar parts move by at a frantic pace with singer/bassist Manda singing over the heavy wall of distortion. The new CD has the same amount of raw energy, but offers a few surprises along the way.

All 12 songs on this disc show off Manda’s great vocal ability. Whether on fast numbers like “Ode to Rock” or the slower, acoustic “Seventeen,” she comes off great on every track. While the CD is sure to satisfy anyone who has enjoyed the energy of the group’s live set over the years; the mellower numbers make for some of the most satisfying tracks. Songs like “Lipstick” and “Simple Things” have such great melodies, you can easily kill a weekend just listening to those two songs. In addition to the often, distorted guitar sounds, the band has added a keyboard player into the mix, and this makes the melodies all the more appealing.

Hopefully, Manda and the Marbles will be back in town soon to play a show, but until then, this CD is well worth checking out.