AMG Review of Burned Again

Tammy La Gorce
All Music Guide

Stiffed sounds like a band that's been burned so many times it's given up on trying to impress anybody, even on the eve of its debut full-length. That, though, is mostly to its credit. Dip into Burned Again and you find lead singer Santi White -- a vocal ringer for both Gwen Stefani and Dale Bozzio from the '80s band Missing Persons -- strutting her dub-flavored stuff over a grab-bag of fizzed-up punk ("Soon Enough"), snarky pop ("A Day with Andrew"), and blender-smooth rocksteady ("Your Voice"). Produced by Darryl Jenifer of Bad Brains -- a big influence on the band alongside the Clash -- Burned Again comes across as keep-it-coming, lumps-and-all party music. In a pop playing field littered with geniuses and would-be masterpiece-makers, Stiffed are the genial lollygaggers. Love them for it.