The Paybacks' Wendy Case eats riot grrrls for breakfast. And probably a few pop stars and some glass, too. Detroit Rock City maintains its beloved moniker not only because of bands like The White Stripes, The Go or The Von Bondies; in fact, there have been many ass-kicking bands in southern Michigan for the last 20 years, though few of them ever get the attention or respect they deserve. The Paybacks, however, like the few mentioned above, may be paving their way out of the Motor City with some of the ballsy-est melodic rock this side of the Atlantic. Lead singer/guitarist Wendy Case is hands-down the toughest rock chick to hit the stage for a couple of decades; her gritty vocals and un-girly girl presence prove that you don't need a nutsack to kick ass. She surrounds herself with a few of the hardest pairs from Detroit's rock scene, though, for affect. And the affect as reflected on the Paybacks' third LP, Love, Not Reason, is some mighty fine rock. It's 11 songs about love, beginning with the confessional "Love Letter," moving on to "Call When You're Ready" ("…to love me!"), with its Joan Jett-paean opening riff and guitarist Danny Methric's Nugent-sweetened licks throughout. Each subsequent track delivers more of what we forget we loved about '70s/'80s hard rock; "Dumb Love" and "Stranger In The House" sound as if they could have been sandwiched between Boston and AC/DC on the charts. On "Painkiller," The Paybacks pay more homage to the Nuge i.e. "Stranglehold," starting off with a slow, hot-summer breakdown then dousing listeners with a geyser of epic guitar solo. Few bands in this decade have been able to create classic rock candy without tongue in cheek or inviting a chuckle. The Paybacks have figured out how to bring it back and move it forward.
~ Penelope Biver
Release date: November 14, 2006
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