Girl in a Coma

Girl in a Coma

Both Before I'm Gone (Blackheart)

As Nina Diaz purrs, "She won't mind; they always said a women's touch can cure no man," it's easy to see why Joan Jett snatched up these three San Antone ladies for her label. Featuring sisters Nina (guitar) and Phanie (drums), plus Jenn Alva on bass, the Girls' full-length debut is under pressure from the push of opener "Clumsy Sky" to the propulsive four-four drum beat of "Say." Produced by Jett's perennial co-conspirator, Kenny Laguna, Both Before I'm Gone booms with a professional studio vibe. The album's ubiquity is Nina Diaz's powerful, booming hiccup, reminiscent of Sleater-Kinney's Corin Tucker, though it can often dominate to the point of dulling her guitar's straight edge. Still, both radiate a manic energy; even the ballads ("Their Cell," "Road to Home") feel like they have electric skin. Gone has all the vital signs. (Girl in a Coma wakes up Red 7 Thursday, May 10.)