Rock and roll is alive and well. Thank the BellRays.

Sounding like the Stooges fronted by a punked-up Tina Turner, the BellRays come roaring out of the garage with a white-hot sophomore album. There's no slump going on here, kids, and no gimmickry either. You can tell from the cover art -- a flame-shrouded blue hand, middle digit raised -- that this is going to be one of the down-and-dirtiest, most satisfying rawk records you've heard in a long time. Listening to Grand Fury will remind you of the days when rock and roll was legitimately dangerous. I'm not talking about the carnival-cartoon danger of tattooed, fire-breathing white trash or cross-dressing, Satan-worshipping weirdos, but that predatory, bad-tempered, feverish sexuality that inspires teenage guys to pick fights and teenage girls to sneak out of their bedroom windows after curfew.

Vocalist Lisa Kekaula, smoky-voiced and defiant, fronts the band with a soulful R&B swagger, giving them a militant Motown stance. She's supported by songwriting that evokes all of rock's best balls-out moments, summoning the Led Zep spirits on "Heat Cage", reaching Judas Priest intensity with "Stupid Fuckin' People" and even whipping out a little bit of Molly Hatchet on "Screwdriver". Seriously, when Kekaula goes off on "Stupid Fuckin' People", you'll realize that this woman could really hurt your wuss ass. I wouldn't want her mad at me. There just aren't enough African-American women singing this sort of rock-and-roll, and it's a crying shame. Sweet harmonies are fine for some, but this ferocity is far more addictive.

Need a little respite from the BellRays' assault? "Have a Little Faith in Me" is smooth, soulful and seductive, its seventies vibe lacking only the scratches and pops of thirty year-old vinyl. Naturally, "Monkey House" immediately turns those amps back up to eleven.

As with any record that so strongly evokes the music of the past, Grand Fury may strike some listeners as derivative. Guitarist Tony Fate, bassist Bob Vennum and drummer Ray Chin seem well versed in Stooges and MC5 lore, and sometimes you'll recognize familiar riffs and fills. You could dismiss the BellRays as an unusually creative nostalgia act, but you'd be missing the point if you did. This sort of rock has pretty much been done to death, and attempts to sell it as something new and different typically fail. The best bands recognize this, and don't bother pretending they're pioneers. They simply put on a hell of a show, adding minor innovations where they can. The BellRays do this very, very well.

If you're still capable of being passionate about music, the BellRays are just the right band to be passionate about. I hope they bring their live show to the Midwest some time soon, because I bet it puts even Grand Fury to shame.