Yep, that Cherie Currie. The former Runaways frontwoman, current chainsaw artist (seriously) and all-around rock survivor.
She’s still at it. And still doing a pretty fair job of it, judging by this comeback set of crunchy, punchy guitar-rock throwbacks laced with VIP cameos by Slash, Duff, Matt Sorum, Billy Corgan, Juliette Lewis, Brody Dalle and more. Granted, it’s not exactly new — it was cut in 2015, then shelved while Currie recovered from injuries she sustained in a fall, but finally saw the light of day on vinyl for Record Store Day 2019. This version (on former bandmate Joan Jett’s label, just for a dash of extra rock cred) tacks on a trio of bonus cuts, including a remake of The Runaways’ Queens of Noise. Speaking of covers, the disc also delivers revamps of Nick Gilder’s Roxy Roller, Tommy James’ Draggin’ The Line and The Hollies’ The Air That I Breathe, though the bulk of the set is divided between punky Sunset Strip rock and power ballads. A many-splendored thing, so to speak.
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Ex-Runaways singer and ’70s icon Cherie Currie has released her latest solo project which features a bevy of rock’s finest: The new album Blvds of Splendor.
The album features guest collaborations with Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, Slash and Duff from Guns N’ Roses, as well as Juliette Lewis, Brody Dalle, The Veronicas and drummer Matt Sorum (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver), who also produced the set. “Cherie’s voice tells it all, she is the real deal. And now more than ever that voice tells the story of where’s she’s been in her life. This record is about who Cherie Currie is now. We’ve waited a long time to hear this icon of Rock N’ Roll do what she does best. I’m very proud to be a part of this album by one of the best female singers of all time.” said Matt. In 2016, Cherie was set to release Blvds of Splendor when she had a near death accident while chainsaw carving falling over 12 feet to the ground off of a hilltop scaffolding. The accident left Cherie with partial facial paralysis and severe head trauma for over 10 months. After her recovery, she met and went in the studio with Fanny drummer & vocalist Brie Darling and in 2019 they released their critically acclaimed The Motivator. Cherie is back to chainsaw carving again and is ready to finally release album Blvds of Splendor. “I’ve never had so much fun making a record before. We all looked at each other and went, ‘Oh my God, there’s magic happening here.”
