The Grabs -- Sex, Fashion, and Money

Well, here was a nice surprise! 9 times out of 10, when I grab a disc to review, it's a band I've never heard of. Once in a while a new TMBG or Bad Plus album shows up (album... shows my age, huh?) and I grab it. Other times I look for a creative cd jacket. I usually give a track or two a listen to see if it can grab me right away. It doesn't happen often, but just enough to let me in on some REALLY good music.
I don't know how I happened upon The Grabs, but my assumption going in was that it would be another girl group. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just not always my speed. It would just so happen that the lead singer is female (Eleni Mandel) but that's about the extent of the estrogen here. Mix a little of her, a dash of Nigel Harrison (Blondie), and a few other talented musicians, and you're on to something!
What struck me is the way this disc DOESN'T stand out. It's not flashy, it's not raunchy, it's just got good solid beats and grooves. It's very simple, in a very good way. It almost requires me to NOT say too much about it, because the music pretty much speaks for itself. The best comparison I could draw as the album closed, was thinking of a less nasal Fleetwood Mac. Not to a T, mind you, but generally speaking. There's good talent, good songs, good grooves, and good beats in here.
It's like comfort food for the ears, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Grade--- B+