.co.uk It has been eight years since the last Concrete Blonde album, but Group Therapy shows they have lost none of the unaffected enthusiasm that hallmarked their previous work. A product of the Los Angeles post-punk scene, James A Mankey, Johnette Napolitano and Harry Rushakoff formed Concrete Blonde from the embryonic Dream 6 in 1986 but the prolonged parting of the ways has allowed to them to return refreshed and give clear-eyed focus to their songwriting concerns. From the exuberant tribute to prime glam influence "Roxy" to the lovely lilting Mexican ballad "Your Llorona" and the gloomy but glorious "Angel", their scintillating blend of infectious energy, emotional intensity and well-primed musical shock tactics has never been stronger. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Napolitano's blend of veiled menace and dreamy sensuality works wonders. On "Take Me Home" she emerges triumphant and resilient after a trawl through LA's decadent underworld; the therapy evidently works. --Gavin Martin
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