You Ride the Pony (I'll Be the Bunny)

The opening track of Black Kali Ma's 2000 release on Alternative Tentacles, You Ride the Pony (I'll Be the Bunny), sets the stage for what's to come. The listener is treated to a slow, Southern rock vibe that slinks, swaggers, and raunches its way into one's eardrums. Just as one grows comfortable with the groove, the band launches into full-on, balls-out rock mode worthy of a classic AC/DC track. The power of the first song, "Kali," comes from these tempo shifts. The rest of the "Pony Side" of the album is a great collection of sleazy rock & roll peaking with the fourth track, "Wonderful," the closest thing these guys due to a ballad (along with the less interesting "Roll Back Home"), but it has such strong compositional and melodic elements that augment the rock & roll chugging, it seems a shame that Black Kali Ma don't get played on the radio. To borrow a phrase from Evan Dorkin, "These guys deserve everybody's money." Unfortunately, the potency and quality of side one doesn't hold up as well on the flipside, dubbed the "Bunny Side." The elements that demand attention on the first side are still evident here, but they don't add much, and the songs collapse into filler for the most part. It's quite lamentable as well, as Black Kali Ma show great promise, which they fulfill for at least half of the album. After a listen of You Ride the Pony (I'll Be the Bunny), one is filled with hopes and the promise of a stronger album in store.