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If you live in the Boston area, it's entirely possible that you're already familiar with the Tootsie girls. They say that their single "For Your Love", the less-than-stellar Yardbirds cover that kicks off their self-titled debut, is in heavy rotation on radio stations in New England. It's believable, since the music on this disc is poppy, effortless and over-polished enough to satiate the average radio listener. Hell, the album even comes with a full-length music video for "Tragic", featuring the leather-clad trio jamming like their frizzy-haired glam rock predecessors as a cluster of teens enjoy the show. The group seems to have built up quite a fan base courtesy of relentless touring, but my experience is that even the most easily impressed can sniff out a phony. No indie credentials, minimal songwriting and rehearsing experience: Tootsie is a classic case of the cut-and-paste "producer's pet", soaking money into Glamour Shots long before the actual music. The album consists primarily of quick and painless shots of rock and roll, sort of like the Donnas if the Ramones had never existed; substance clearly wasn't on the agenda for this one. "Shake" is the album's best offering, which at least supplies the anthemic shouts that make the difference between a bad album and a fun one. So while Tootsie may not be headlining Ozzfest anytime soon, they're at least good at smiling pretty for the cameras.
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