With the release of their self-titled major label debut (out now on Virgin), Las Vegas’ Adelitas Way brings a storied past into the mainstream psyche.
Formed after frontman Rick DeJesus bounced from Philly to L.A. (for a VH1 show, no less) and to Vegas where he lived in his car for three months, the band takes it’s moniker from a Mexican bar where the band sought refuge after being robbed by corrupt cops. Turns out, “Adelitas Bar” was in fact, a brothel.
Led by the first single, “Invincible” (which has since started being used on WWE’s MONDAY NIGHT RAW), Adelitas Way delivers a polished 11-song set of modern rock that sounds both at home on top 40 radio, and grungy enough to be heard at your local watering hole.
Sadly, the album’s downfall is that the “pop” tends to take charge at times, veering into ballad territory on tracks like “Closer to You.” The end result is a mixed bag from a band with promise – if they turn in a follow-up that that kicks up the rock a little bit more.
If not, they risk being another in a long line of bands with one hit song that will still be played on third-market rock radio years after the name of the band has been forgotten.
Rating: 2.5/5
