NEW MODERN CRIMINALS: WHO LIKES MOVIES? MARIANNA WITH HER NEW MODERN CRIMINALS, THAT'S WHO

MARIANNA WITH HER NEW MODERN CRIMINALS

It's great to see this band on a DVD. Marianna Fox is not only stunning looking, but she's a musical Sybil, seemingly changing personalities whenever she changes outfits. Let me start by saying that the material this band plays fits this singer perfectly. The songs all have a story to tell, but in an oblique way that only great songs can pull off. The songs are written by Carter Tutwiler and performed by the New Modern Criminals in ways bordering on musical genius, creating achingly slow tempos completely devoid of yawns. This is a tight band with tasty arrangements and cool sounds.   And in person, everyone looks alive and the visual of the Criminals backing Marianna is an amazing sight indeed.

Marianna lights up every one of these musical in a way that is fascinating to watch, with the story of the songs coming further alive with every presentation. Simply put: the camera loves Marianna. Her sultry take on Sickeningly Sentimental would give Eartha Kitt pause while the cowboy cool of I'm Calling It A Crime is a delight. The Criminal's version of Gloomy Sunday, with Marianna in close up and mourning veil, is triumphant in both the dramatic facial expressions and the sheer emotion of this great standard.  The Tired of the Blues video, where the viewer can smell the beer on the floor of the dive bar the band is playing in, shows Marianna cast in a deep blue light while the Criminals rock long, slow and hard behind her. The complete turn around from the sensual Sickeningly Sentimental shoot to the blues bar blow out demonstrates how these great performers can morph from one visual and sonic appeal to another without losing any identity. It's perhaps one of the great assets of the New Modern Criminals album that it includes these visuals on DVD, because watching the transitions occur without any loss of cred reinforces this group's dynamic appeal.

But perhaps the tour d'force is Marianna's solo appearance on "The Last to Know."   Watching her unfold this song convinces the viewer that this composition could become her signature number. Looking completely different while looking completely the same, Marianna's tale of love lost is the oldest in the book. But the re-telling by Marianna in this one woman booze soaked rendition is one that is unforgettable. With her distinctive voice and flair for the dramatic, The Last to Know demonstrates the strengths of Marianna and, with her New Modern Criminals, fully justifies the direction this group of musical dynamos is going. A+ record.