Note: This review originally appeared in the Illinois Entertainer.
The Like have been around awhile, having started out as teenage girls in L.A., but Release Me finds founding members vocalist-guitarist Z Berg and drummer-vocalist Tennessee Thomas taking a different approach, with new band members. It’s questionable how much bassist Laena Geronimo and organist Annie Monroe contributed to this recording, since the small print on the CD states Victor Axelrod played organ on all tracks and Alex Greenwald played bass on all tracks. But however these songs came together, they’re a whole lot of fun.
As the cover photo suggests, there’s an emphasis on the 1960s here, but The Like successfully explore other genres as well. Berg is a gifted songwriter who matches clever and caustic lyrics to irresistible melodies, whether she’s evoking Dusty Springfield on the soulful “In The End” or zinging a two-timing boyfriend on the harder-edged “Wishing He Was Dead.” On “Narcissus In A Red Dress,” Berg drifts into Lily Allen style social satire, and dives head first into vintage New Wave on the sexy "Fair Game." The first single, “He’s Not A Boy,” like so many of the tracks on Release Me, is a British Invasion inspired romp. Since The Like are actively touring, it’s reasonable to assume that its newest members are now fully active.
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