Hard rocking bands with female vocalists are few and far between. That's why Exhibit F's debut full-length is such a refreshing disc. This San Diego four-piece, featuring singer Melle, guitarist Chris Lawrence, bassist Jeremy Turner, and drummer John Duffy, plays hard-edged rock with a little punk thrown in for good measure on Blue In The Background, an eleven-track disc.

The band's sound, style-wise, is reminiscent of the wonderful From Safety To Where and Melle's tough vocals bring to mind such greats as Selene Vigil of 7 Year Bitch and Stephanie (early frontwoman) of the Devotchkas. Overall, the tone of the disc is pretty dark, ominous, and conflicted (much like 7 Year Bitch and L7), as exemplified on tracks like "Beauty," with its rather sedate but dark feel and pummeling bass line and the somewhat sinister and threatening "Rest," which gets quicker and heavier as it progresses. The highlights of the album have to be the speedy, intense opener "Sliding," "Beauty," and the absolute standout track "Down." On "Disregard," Melle sounds kind of like the legendary Beki Bondage of Brit-punks Vice Squad fame, especially during the chorus, and on the finale, "Ugly and Unsincere," Exhibit F offer up some nice punk fare that also incorporates some groove-filled beats. "None" is another heavy-hitter.

What I really like about this disc is the production. It's not overly produced and sounds a bit raw, with the bass heavy in the mix, which is great. However, some songs like "Heir," "Unseen," and the sedate "Back to Me" are a little too tame, and "Slipaway" is weak, but Exhibit F redeem themselves on this one as the song reaches the 2:30 second mark and it gets more energetic and exciting. And I come to a conclusion: the band really shines on the tracks that are heavier and dark and have attitude - the songs that have bite and a roughness about them. Of course, they must be given credit for trying out different styles, but their interesting brand of hard rock is what stands out on this album.

www.exhibitf.com