I first discovered Jeannette Kantzalis in 1992 when she released her debut record Pink Mischief. Then she fell off the map. I re-discovered her earlier this year when she released a fantastic record under the name A Brokeheart Pro. Unbeknownst to me, she had been toiling away since then as leader of a band called The Chubbies. I missed out but a whole bunch of people loved the band, snapping up their 12" and 7"'s like M&Ms.The band produced some garage pop that is low on the tech side of things but high on the quality of the songwriting. Along with her friend and drummer Christene Kings (and a series of bass players), the band kicked out a whopping 25 or so records, all on a variety of labels. Most notably, the band's debut was on Long Gone John's Sympathy for the Record Industry.
Several of The Chubbies' songs were standout hits for the band; most notably "Play Me" and "When I Was Your Girlfriend". "Play Me" has some kind of psychic switch that is connected to your feet because as soon as the song starts, they have to move. In the same vein is "When I Was Your Girlfriend", which Jeannette says is a phrase (ending with "you were a lucky man") that is uttered by almost every woman out there at some point.
The songwriting prowess of Jeannette is evident in "Matty Loyal" and "I Adore Theodore", two songs that are pop but are so much more than that. My favorite song (and Jeannette's I gleefully have to add) "Vegas Song" is a haunting piece of music that sticks in your head. The guitars are turned up for "Didjahaftasaythat?" and "Psuedochrist" where she shows the well rounded versatility that keeps her material fresh and exciting. My other favorite song is "Johnny Breathe" with its ear-friendly hooks.
But that's not all kids. Jeannette has gone back and selected nine of her favorites and re-recorded them acoustically, giving them all a different feel. That's 22 cuts on one CD. Not a bad deal, right?
Jeannette hinted in a recent interview that the band might not be dead and she would love to have another go at it with Christene if there was enough interest so perhaps this record should be called Greatest Hits Vol. 1.
