15. Single Review of Show Me What You Got! by Too Hot For Leather

Originally published July 16th, 2024

About the Band

Too Hot For Leather are a rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. They are: lead singer, Shannon Sperl, guitar player, Ryan Snyder, drummer, Kevin Keith, and some dude on bass.

Kidding. That dude’s name is John, who has a great sense of humor and can wield the bass guitar as good as anybody else. I’m referring to an ongoing joke the bandmates play on their low (tone) man. If you want to get in on some of the hilarity that is their TikTok page, you can formally meet them at the link below.

Too Hot For Leather pride themselves on being pure rock to the core; covering artists like Radiohead, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Guns N’ Roses, and more. I found out about this dynamic quartet one day by happening across a video they posted on TikTok, showing the band sitting at a table, then simultaneously being drawn into the sensational sound of The Cranberries. I reached out then to see if they had any original music and they had said it was coming soon. 

Well, “soon” is today, as they’ve just released their DEBUT single, “Show Me What You Got!”

The Song

THFL boast that they are a rock band with a promise they would deliver the traditional essence of why people have loved rock music for decades. From what I have heard, they’ve delivered on that promise. There is no experimental complexities to instrumentation. They are playing guitar, bass and drums. Sperl isn’t using a “pretty” voice; don’t misunderstand, she is a great vocalist. Those vocals are loud and in your face. If there are any sub-genres that they’re leaning into, it would be a little bit of the heavy metal of the 80’s and rockabilly of the mid 2000’s. 

“Show Me What You Got!” is driving from the very beginning, with full use of the kit and layered riffs and rhythms coming the guitar, and the bass complimenting each of these parts; bringing a low end that keeps up with the intricacies of the guitar part.

Vocally, THFL bring just as much to the table as the instrumentation does. Led by Sperl, who uses every bit of her voice to deliver a performance that can be heard at the back of any room, the vocals thrive on the energy of the song. The band joins vocally in the background shouting the title “Show me what you got,” and providing an accented element to the bridges with a nice, robust “Hey!” in the background.

The production quality of the record is spot on. Choosing the right time to layer vocals, instruments, and a spot on drum mix, the sound of this record is absolutely superb; amongst the best I’ve heard from an independent recording.

The Lyrics

Sperl’s delivery of the lyrics is also great. Her vocal performance is loud, clear, and gives the listener every opportunity to hear what she’s saying. She opens with “What are you waiting for/Go ahead and take your shot/I know you want it more/So show me what you got!” 

Opening up the song, the lyrics provide anticipation and an adrenaline rush that sets the listener up to bring energy from the beginning to the end.

The verses tell a story of Sperl issuing a challenge to a romantic interest to have them “put their money where their mouth is,” so to speak. To act on their feelings and make their move; providing affirmations that they will be welcomed if they do.

The lyrics are fun and entertaining. They inspire the choice to let go and to not ignore impulsive desires. Consentual attractions. It is a message that any person who has felt desire can relate to.

Final Thoughts

“Show Me What You Got!” has plenty of energy and Too Hot For Leather possess every necessary tool in the bag to deliver it. They bring the tempo. They bring the volume. They bring the attitude, the charisma, and the talent.

I’ve really enjoyed this debut and I’m thoroughly looking forward to see what’s next. If only there was a way to convey that. I guess what I am trying to say is for Too Hot For Leather to “Show me what they got!”

If you want to learn more about the band, be sure to check out their social media to find out shows, musical journeys, and future projects. Everything you need to know about, except John. F*ck John. 

Check out “Show Me What You Got!” here

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

71. Album Review of Ruined Castle by Kid Lightbulbs

Originally Published on December 4th About the Artist This is the segment of the review where I generally introduce the artist before digging into the analysis of their work. And I am going to do that. But first. We Have to Talk About Radiohead When I was in high school,  I had heard of  Radiohead . I had a couple sentences at the ready for talking points. “I like  Paranoid Android ,” I would say if they were ever brought up in conversation. But, I was into my  Jars of Clay  phase with aspirations of being a Youth Pastor. Music was just this thing I knew I was good at that everybody ELSE expected me to do. It was not a priority for me. It wasn’t until;  in my quest to get to know this girl I was interested in, I bought  OK Computer  in the summer of 2000, that my attention would be reallocated to Radiohead. It was actually on the way home from a youth trip. I had just bought it at a music store when we stopped at a mall for lunch. I popped my bran...
Read more

01. Introducing…

Originally published June 26, 2024 Hello one and hello all! My name is Jeff Thomas. I am from Nashville, Tennessee. I work on the servicing side of the financial industry. I’m married to my beautiful wife, Naomi and we live with our three college/high school-aged teenagers and our three dogs;  Slim ,  Kali , and  Barnaby . If you follow me on any of my  social media platforms , I’m sure you’ve seen them. For hobbies, I love gardening, cooking, spending time with my family, traveling, watching movies with my wife, listening to podcasts and audio books with my wife and ALL THINGS MUSIC! As an  independent recording artist myself , I love writing, composing, and recording my own music. I am a fan of all music; my taste is pretty diverse. In fact, there is no one genre I don’t like. To give you an idea of where my tastes land, some of my favorite artists are  Radiohead  (and all subsequent  solo ,  side projects ,  compositions , etc)  ...
Read more

11. Single Review of Shades of Green by Changeling

Originally published July 11th, 2024 About the Artist Changeling are a rock band from  Indianapolis , Indiana. They formed in July of 2022, with their debut recording, “ Keep it Coming ,” releasing in 2023. They are vocalist, Zachary Smith, lead guitar, David Minton, Cameron Bender on the bass, and Andrew Dawson on the drums. Changeling hope to gain traction with their fan base by steadily releasing a few singles with hopes of releasing an album in the future. If you would like the opportunity to check Changeling out live, you can see them November 1st, at The Healer in Indianapolis! Shades of Green “ Shades of Green ” is a single released on July 5th and runs at Two minutes, Thirty-two seconds. It is a mid to upbeat tempo, with quieter verses leading to building choruses. “Shades of Green” features instrumental performances on guitar, bass guitar, drums, and vocals. The lyrics were written and performed by Zachary Smith. About the Music Though Changeling are much more of a traditi...
Read more