With their new single, John Diva & The Rockets Of Love set out to destroy gender stereotypes in the most entertaining way possible. As the self declared "King of the High Heel", John Diva struts his stuff as the Barbie AND Ken of hard rock, showing that despite their classic sound, the band are definitely not stuck in 80s.
"A touch too much a little macho, like a blast from the past, babe," John Diva sings over dirty bluesy guitars and a heavy drum groove, before the juicy brass sections take over in the chorus, which sparkles with Aerosmith-like ambiguity.
"Boys Don't Play With Dolls" expresses the band's rebellious and libertine elements like no other song on the current record.
John Diva comments, "We value being different types, different men than in 1984. Basically, rock music is conservative, when you consider which images are maintained and that it is predominantly male-dominated. If you look at the protagonists of 80's glam metal, I don't know how many of the gentlemen I could actually spend an evening talking to about anything other than their cars."
With an invitation to read between the lines, "Boys Don't Play With Dolls" is lyrically, almost a political statement: "I'm tough enough like a feminine man.... and twice a man than a republican."
Musically, the new track serves all the clichés of the genre - blues rock with a horn section, cowbell groove and a sprawling guitar solo by Les Paul aficionado Snake Rocket. This seduction creates a gap between sound and message, which is great fun for both the artist and the listener. this all brings us to the core tenet of The Rockets: in the end, everything is just a big party, with champagne corks flying by as a sweaty rock band blasts through the club.
In reference to the track, John says, "JDATROL has always been an offer for participation. We don't exclude anyone, everyone is welcome - no matter what you wear or who you want to be tonight."
So, in the end, this song is about throwing a big, smiling middle finger at the establishment and not letting anyone or anything dictate how you should look, behave, dress or love, just like rock'n'roll.
Stream the song here, and watch the video below:
The name of the record says it all: "We wanted to record an album that sounds like Cherry Cola," guitarist Snake Rocket explains the process of creating The Big Easy. "Also, we put great emphasis on the fact that the record is intended as an album and doesn’t sound as if we jammed together an intro and eleven random songs. The record works in that order precisely." It only took six months from initial song idea to finished album. Never has John Diva & The Rockets Of Love sounded more like a unit – never has the group oozed so much joy and California sunshine from every pore.
The new album, The Big Easy, is available via SPV/Steamhammer as CD Digipak, LP Gatefold version, CD/LP bundle with shirt (only at the Steamhammer Shop), download and stream here.
The Big Easy tracklisting:
"California Rhapsody"
"The Big Easy"
"God Made Radio"
"Runaway Train"
"Thunder"
"Believe"
"Back In The Days"
"Hit And Run"
"Boys Don’t Play With Dolls"
"The Limit Is The Sky"
"Capri Style"
"Wild At Heart"
"The Limit Is The Sky" video:
"Runaway Train":
"God Made Radio" video:
