Gold Medal

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Bright, energetic retro-punk fun.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that The Donnas are a breath of fresh air, especially for girls who would rather play with their guitar distortion boxes than their belly-button piercings.


What's the story?

The Donnas rock, there's no doubt about it. And they do it with such apparent full-tilt glee on GOLD MEDAL that it's hard not to jump on for the ride. Especially impressive are Allison Robertson's guitar riffs; she anchors the album with strong and imaginative playing, along with Maya Ford (bass) and Torry Castellano (drums) as a powerful and precise rhythm section. Brett Anderson's lead vocals are confident and expressive. But the whole is even greater than its parts; the band chemistry is something really special. You'll find a bit of sexual innuendo (on "It's So Hard") and a drug reference or two (on a song that seems to be anti-drug, actually), as well as a "stalking-my-old-boyfriend" tune. The closest we get to a message song is "Fall Behind Me" ("How long's she gonna be around/And how long do we have to watch her dumb it down/Cause when it's cheap it fades fast/And how long does she think it's gonna last").


Is it any good?

 

On one crystal-clear track after another, you'll hear interesting and well-delivered songs that show off the band members' best qualities, and also show off how much they've grown as artists since their last album. Song lyrics are mild -- clever and interesting without bothering to dig too deep. The real messages are that rock & roll is fun, if you keep practicing you'll get better, and girls can rock at least as hard as the boys.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about the great message this CD delivers -- girls can do anything they set their minds to, keeping up with the best of the rockers. It might be worth noting that these girls got their start in high school.


This review was written by Kathi Kamen Goldmark
Adult
April 17, 2010
 
G-Ida's Gold Review
Violence 6/10: The song Dizzy talks about shootings. Pop You Bang is all about killing people. Sex 2/10: A few references to "Girls love us". Language 6/10: About 3 uses of @$$, 6 uses of s--t and one use of "F--k You". Drugs 3/10: Some references to drinking and hangovers.

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
I love it!!!
It's really good for girls my age because not all girls want Hilary Duff or other pop artists!! Girls can rock too! Not just the guys! The songs are awesome and my parents like it too!

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This review was written by Kathi Kamen Goldmark
Artist:The Donnas
Release date:October 26, 2004
Label:Atlantic
Genre:Punk Rock
Parental advisory:No

This review was written by Kathi Kamen Goldmark
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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