There's nothing too subtle about the Divinyls.
When Christina Amphlett sings her lyrics, all doubt is erased about what she means."To me, Chrissy's not really overtly sexual," says lead guitarist Mark McEntee. "She does it in her own way . . . She's an upfront, sensual kind of perfomer."
Whatever.
Somehow, though, the Divinyls have managed to escape the controversy that has shadowed other let's-get-down-and-dirty acts like the Rolling Stones, Cher, Madonna and, of course, 2 Live Crew.
The Divinyls are bringing their act to the Fairpark Coliseum on Wednesday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m. United Concerts describes the event as a "dance concert."
So far, the general public has written the Divinyls off as a harmless, playful band not to be taken altogether seriously.
Even in Australia, the Divinyls' homeland, the censors weren't quite sure what to think about "I Touch Myself," which rose to No. 1 down under.
"They banned the video because of the lyrics, but they allowed the song to air on the radio," McEntee said in a Deseret News interview.
In America, the band, which had released four albums with limited success, finally made a dent in the industry last year with its self-titled album, "Divinyls," which rose to No. 15 on the American charts.
The single "I Touch Myself" eventually rose to No. 4, but its successor, "Make Out Alright," has yet to make out well at all, despite the provocative video.
The group's strength lies in Amphlett, whose sultry alto voice is the secret of the success behind "I Touch Myself." But her alluring vocals, as well as her striking poses on the cover, do little to save the mediocrity of the rest of the album. McEntee is a capable guitarist but fairly uninspired.
As songwriters, though, the Divinyls would do well to solicit more (better?) outside help, which is what they got on "I Touch Myself." Amphlett and McEntee wrote "Bless My Soul (It's Rock 'n' Roll)" and "Lay Your Body Down" themselves. "Bless My Soul" is plain, unimaginative drivel; "Lay Your Body Down" is just monotonously nasty.