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 The Holy Grail Pop Companion
gushes, "the bootLICKERS power pop ranks in the upper stratosphere (see
Jason Falkner, Matthew Sweet). The cocktail mix would probably be: 1 part Go-Go's,
2 parts Beatles, & a dash of Dollywood!"
“Best
Gay Band – The Bootlickers. Anyone
who thinks gay music is just about rehashed disco and granola rock need only
listen to the Bootlickers!”
-
Philadelphia
Weekly, Annual “Best Of” Issue
"John
McNeill, lead singer of
Philadelphia
's The Bootlickers, croons
like Chris Isaak and gets gritty like the Counting Crows, placing slide
guitar-drenched ballads next to summertime party retro-pop."
- Island
Records Recording Artist Daniel Cartier
“Spearheading
Philly’s apparently burgeoning queer-rock scene, the Bootlickers’ pop
sensibilities have a lot of people in town wanting to see what all the fuss is
about.”
-
Philadelphia
Weekly
Some reviews of Universal
Nancy:
On the
inside sleeve of Universal Nancy, The Bootlickers point to Aimee Mann,
R.E.M. and Crowded House as their musical inspiration, but their songs are more
akin to the Magnetic Fields or Belle & Sebastian. Like those artists, they
balance syrupy sentiments and sweet melodies with dry instrumentation and
wistful singing. John McNeill's clean guitar strum plays counterpoint to the
band’s three-part harmonies. Bootlicker lyrics can be extremely intense or
tongue-in-cheek cute. In "Stephen," McNeill flies a kite with the
ghost of a dead friend. "Sure of You" praises and questions a new
romance with the goofy line: "In a Hardy Boys Mystery you're the greatest
clue/ Though I've always been partial to Nancy Drew." Of course who could
overlook the Bootlickers' cover of "These Boots are Made for Walkin'"
with its phrase: "These Boots are made for lickin'."
Hidden away under a stack of cds vying for my attention, Universal
Nancy quietly stunned me - a very
promising debut.
- Neil
Gladstone, “Hometown Heroes”
Philadelphia
City
Paper – The Music Issue
“four stars - beg, borrow,
or buy Universal Nancy!…featuring frank, often clever, lyrics; strong
harmonies; moving ballads and foot-tapping melodies, the seven song debut CD
features the best of the Bootlickers. By
sticking to the musical basics, the Bootlickers turn the focus to their rich
harmonies and McNeill’s heartfelt lyrics…a moving, fun CD.”
-
Kevin Melrose,
Philadelphia
Gay News
Early reviews of HUGE:
"I put this in my cd player and fell in love with it right off the
bat!"
-Chris Allen, Audiofile - Public Radio International (syndicated worldwide)
"This
CD would be a GREAT addition to anyone's musical library!"
-Mark Armstrong, 90.7 KPFK,
Los
Angeles
"Man,
what a great CD! I LOVE it!"
-Taylor Cage, 91.7 KOOP, Austin
"I
really connected to their energetic pop sound"
-Windy City Times,
Chicago
"the
bootLICKERS are one of my new favorite queer bands!"
-Gregg
Shapiro,
Baltimore
Gay News
"the
bootLICKERS scream with versatility throughout the context of HUGE!"
-Voices Magazine
"Make
no mistake this CD is HUGE. HUGE in The bootLICKERS ability to capture,
entertain, and leave an indelible mark on your musical memory...when this CD
ends you know you have gone somewhere"
-Stonewall Society
"Power
pop never tasted so bittersweet"
-SPIN Magazine
"'Love
Comes Back' is the best slice of power pop since REM's 'Superman' and 'Road' is
my favorite country song by a non-country band...ever!
They're that good!!"
-listen.com
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![[The bootLICKERS]](images/bootlogo300dpi.gif){kind=small}
