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Who says that modern bands can't make music that's exotic, melodic, cool and classic? If that's the current opinion, thankfully this adventurous five-piece band from San Francisco never heard it.

Twangy spy guitars intermingle with wordless female vocal cooing on "Scorpio 66" and "Vamoose." Bossa nova rhythms layer under Brazilian guitars in "Airwaves" and "Bongos 4 Sale," but they're not afraid to include a Theremin or a timpani here and there for good measure. Their 60's pop (and dare I say folk) influences shine through in this collection of twelve original tunes.

Mostly led by female vocalists Ursula Blind and Sally Dana, at the heart of this band is versatile guitarist Joe Gore, who tastefully dazzles with solid simplicity. The one song getting everyone's attention is their rockingly cool and clever "Woo Woo Woo Woo Woo Woo Woo Woo (The Car Alarm Song)." The chorus is absolutely irresistible and I guarantee that you cannot refrain from smiling when you hear it (I refuse to give its secrets away!).

Ursula Blind's spellbinding vocals are convincingly eerie and perfect on tunes like "Datura." And the cover of this CD is one of the most bizarre, sexiest and coolest pieces of art I've seen in years! It perfectly matches the mood of this CD, which is scary, experimental, tuneful, lusty, wry, playful, and it works on all levels. If you thought exotic music was dead, think again, my friend.

-Bill Johnson, Cool & Strange Music!


We've often complained that rock has played itself out, but Action Plus proves there's life in the old girl yet. There's no describing their music except to say that it's a mix of just about everything, all done surprisingly well. Throughout their album are the really fine pop vocals of Ursula Blind and Sally Dana, who we think could sing anything they wanted.

-Steve Sando, Mr. Lucky


In the siren-like voices of Ursula Blind and Sally Dana, the wail of a spaghetti western soundtrack, nuances of samba and bossa nova, as well as some American pop glint and beckon. In fact, there's music on Action Plus's self-titled CD to suit many tastes. "Scorpio 66" combines Morricone-style vocalizations with singers who could step right off the old scratchy vinyl of the Batman theme song. "Zazelle" adds an exotic sound built on über guitarist Joe Gore's "Ring of Fire"-like riffs.

"Airwaves" and "Pernod" are light, warmhearted tributes to early-60's sambas, while "Sweetness" is a bossa nova that couldn't possibly have been written in the 60's-its sugary-sweet chorus contrasts mightily with the band's peek at "true romance," a.k.a. the sadistic and bitter side of love. I'm happy to give Action Plus credit for pulling these songs off beautifully while updating bossa nova with lyrics cleverly mocking the jetset outlook.

Action Plus demonstrates their darkest side in three ballads, "Blue Mango," "Age of Glory," and "Datura," all of which tell stories of love and revenge while sporting some of the album's prettiest vocals. The tunes also seem the most original and unconfined on the CD, emphasizing Action Plus's own style while avoiding the continuous spoofing of old genres. If you want to see where this band can grow, these songs provide excellent signposts.

-Lenny Di Franza, Check It Out! The Indie Music Digizine

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