"Rock is back", apparently. Personally I'd argue it never left, but then I don't live in Australia and perhaps that argument is for another day anyway. What Babyjane are perhaps trying to say is that they rock, and judging by this release I'm sure many would agree. They certainly achieve what they set out to do anyway.

'Are You Listening', released in March of this year (it has only just reached us here), is the Australian quartet's debut album. Mixed by the legendary Michael Wagener (producer of bands such as Mötley Crüe and Skid Row), and mastered in part by Frank Marino (Guns N' Roses, Kiss) it is perhaps inevitable that all this specialised experience would shine through undeniably on this record. This collection of influences compliments the sound that the band are aiming to produce; in short this marriage of experience works for them.

Opener, the single 'Are You Listening', breaks out with crisp, razor sharp riffs so resonant in the '80s hard rock, glam scene. It's powerful and atmospheric, it contains big choruses and a riff that's almost lifted straight out of the Skid Row anthem, 'Youth Gone Wild'. But Babyjane aren't here to hide their influences and it's certainly the production that brings them close to this sound, to the point where they sit up there with the likes of Skid Row and the Crüe, comfortably and confidently.

Achieving this position is difficult to do when so many other bands are fighting for the same air. I'll be honest, I put this CD with an element of doubt in my mind, thinking that this may be the same old dross I keep hearing lately. And they could've been just that, if it wasn't for the fact they know exactly how to tap in to that cock rock chorus. It's big and it's sleazy, and bobbing up and down in your face. Perhaps their success is also due to the fact that they can deliver up some groove, most evident in tracks 'Give it All Up' and 'Demontonic'. Danceable rhythms are something a lot of lesser bands of this style definitely lack.

Sounds of more classic bands such as The Cult shine through on tracks such 'L'il Gutter' and they can slow the pace down too, for what is surely going to be their next single, 'Four Rusted Egos'. Babyjane aren't breaking boundaries, and their lyrics are hardly revolutionary, but if someone is going to keep old flames alive, then they at least need do it well, which Babyjane do.

www.myspace.com/babyjaneaustralia