No Exit serves up a delicious combination platter of the band’s former albums, including sounds reminiscent of ‘Parallel Lines,’ ‘Eat to the Beat,’ and ‘Autoamerican.’ The CD dishes out a sampling of various genres including ska (‘Screaming Skin’ with its circus-like, crazy-clown vibe), jazz (Deborah Harry’s voice at her sultry best in ‘Boom Boom in the Zoom Zoom Room’), country (picture the band in overalls and 10-gallon hats during ‘The Dream’s Lost on Me’), and rap (with Coolio on ‘No Exit’). ‘Forgive and Forget’ pulsates with its funky tribal beats. Pop is not forgotten with ‘Maria,’ the first single released, and the very Blondiesque ‘Nothing is Real But the Girl.’ The CD closes out with the eerie ‘Dig Up the Conjo.’ Three bonus tracks, remixed versions of ‘Dreaming,’ ‘Call Me,’ and ‘Rapture’ are also included. ‘No Exit’ proves that Blondie can still deliver!

Leigh Foxx? Who’s that? Paul Carbonara? Don’t know him either? And you call yourself a Blondie fan…Leigh and Paul, whom I recently met backstage after the show at Madison Square Garden, have recently joined the revamped Blondie, one of the best bands of all time. We’re all familiar with Debbie, Chris, Clem, and Jimmy, and after the band's controversy with their ex-members; it’s Paul and Leigh’s time to shine. Both are Americans and both were BIG Blondie fans before signing up, Leigh is from New Jersey and Paul hails from New York.

Leigh (bass) boasts an extensive musical history, having toured with artists such as Yoko Ono, Scandal, Randy Van Warmer, and the Patti Smith Group to name a few. He and Debbie go way back, as he played on her ‘Debravation’ and ‘Def, Dumb, and Blonde’ albums (touring on the latter). Leigh’s two credits on No Exit are ‘Screaming Skin’ and ‘Night Wind Sent.’

Paul (guitar) is in another band called Red Radio Flyer, and they continue to do live gigs in and around New York whenever he’s off the road. The music is classified as rock and roll with a bit of a country vibe to it—much more guitar-oriented than Blondie. Blondie is back: topping the charts, touring the world, and attracting a whole new generation of fans. Welcome aboard Paul and Leigh. May there be no exit.

There is also a new pictorial book about Blondie called Blondie, From Punk to the Present.. Check it out by clicking here.

Website: www.blondie.net