If you've watched enough VH-1, you're sure to have seen the footage of the Go-Gos at the peak of their mainstream popularity, spoiling their good girl image by embracing the "dark" side of rock and roll -- namely the sex and drugs part. I can imagine that if there was anything we didn't see in those raucous home videos, it could have been the women of Betty Blowtorch off-camera, egging Belinda and company on and making fun of them. Granted, Betty Blowtorch probably wasn't actually there, but you can assume that these were the kind of girls the Go-Gos would hang out with when they were feeling pissed off for having to smile when they'd rather scowl their way through all those sunny, cheerful videos for MTV.

Picture a more ferocious L7, then add a bit of AC/DC, and you basically have the formula for Betty Blowtorch. They play aggressive, in-your-face, sleazy rock that's just raunchy enough to throw Tipper Gore into a full-on seizure. "I Wanna Be Your Sucker" and "Shut Up And Fuck" really need no explanation, lyrically speaking, and though the brazen style is a selling point (and probably a huge hit at gigs), it's not like we haven't heard this before. It's the less predictable elements on Are You Man Enough? that set Betty Blowtorch apart. For example, take the endearing "No Integrity"; its sweet harmonies and pure pop melody sound like nothing else on the album. Considering that it follows the riotous "Shut Up And Fuck", the song comes as such a surprise that you begin to wonder if your CD player is on shuffle.

One point of interest (or perhaps confusion) is the "guest appearance" by Vanilla Ice, who raps about his "manhood" on "Size Queen". I'm not kidding. I almost feel bad for him, because no matter what he does he just looks (and sounds) ridiculous. It's hard to say whether or not Betty Blowtorch played the meanest joke ever on the Ice (Ice) Baby by getting him to rap "Yo, I'm Vanilla Ice and I'll be your dream". How embarrassing. It makes the four foul-mouths behind Betty Blowtorch look even smarter and sound even better.