_{Janet Gardner will of course be known to many as the front woman of Vixen, but on 18th August she releases her first solo album. The self-titled album was recorded with her husband Justin James and is released through Pavement Music. I was fortunate enough to record an interview with Janet last month (http://www.rockradioni.co.uk/interviews/3171-ni-rocks-interview-with-janet-gardner-vixen.html ). Chatting with her it was obvious that there had been some nervousness going into the project, but that once commenced it was a labour of love and an album that she is extremely proud of. And she has every reason to be; it is a fantastic album and I was delighted to hear that we can expect more in the future. We played four tracks from the album during the interview that was broadcast on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 21st July.}

_{The album was recorded by Janet and Justin in the studio in their house and features 10 tracks that range from slower ballads to all out rockers. They’re also very distinct – Janet’s vocals do of course have that Vixen vibe, but these aren’t Vixen tracks. (She did confirm that the writing of tracks for a new Vixen album was commenced – to be released sometime after the upcoming live album). There are a few tracks which comment on the world we live in today such as “Rat Hole” which we featured on the Show and the excellent “Let It Be Over.”}

_{Janet and Justin have put together a band and will be touring to support the release of the solo album. They’ve already played a couple of shows and would like to bring the tour to Europe.}

_{There really are no weak tracks on this album. We played the four tracks included on the teaser video on the Show – “Rat Hole”, “If You Want Me”, “Candle” and “The Grind”. Some of my favourites which I haven’t mentioned or played on the Show yet are “Hippycrite”, “Your Problem Now” and “Lost”. You can expect to hear more from the album over the next few weeks.}

_{Check out Janet’s Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/JanetGardnerofficial/}

{youtube}HCCZeUSODNA{/youtube}

_{About “NI Rocks Recommends”}

_{The simple idea behind “NI Rocks Recommends” is to acknowledge and promote some of the great music being submitted to Rock Radio NI. I'll not be giving marks or ratings or analyzing the tracks in great detail; just telling you something about the artist and the album. It’s a personal recommendation to go check something out, not a traditional “review”!}

_{My musical tastes cover most things rock; from the not too melodic to the not too heavy. The albums that I’ll be recommending are those that you’ll hear me playing tracks from on my shows on Rock Radio NI.}

_{Check out NI Rocks on Facebook – www.facebook.com/NIRocks or Twitter - www.twitter.com/NIrelandRocks}