Sinner

by

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

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Some 25 years after "I Love Rock and Roll" made her a star, who'd have thought that Joan Jett would still be making vital sounding records? "Sinner" is a solid veteran rocker of a disc, with all the hallmarks of Joan's best past work. You want a solid social call out? Joan slaps it to the current regime on the CD's opener "Riddles." Barking out "wake up, people" just before dropping sound bites from Donald Rumsfeld and George W; it's a punky call to arms.

Then comes one of the obligatory covers (and the album's highlight), a ripping cover of Sweet's "Ac/Dc." (The other cover, of The Replacements' "Androgynous," does not fair as well.) "Ac/Dc" crunches the guitar chords, plays with ambiguous sexuality - LOVE that video - and glams like her Gary Glitter covers from the early days.

What holds the CD back is a couple of strange choices in back tracking. The decision to rerecord "Fetish" and "100 Feet Away" wiffs of filler, even if it might be some fans' first chance to hear them. But still, songs like "Everyone Knows" (her gay coming out song?), "Change The World" and a great ballad "Watersign" make up for the shortfalls. The Blackhearts are still kicking up a righteous racket, and "Sinner" is far better then anything we should be expecting at this late a date.