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The Downbeat 5 play real rock 'n roll, baby, with blood 'n' guts 'n' heart. Carrying a torch ignited by the girl groups and British invaders of the '60s and fanned by the spirit of punk rock, this sleek, tough four-piece are road warriors who'll take their sturdy melodies and dirty riffs wherever an audience beckons. And there's going to be plenty of beckoning when their new CD Victory Hotel hits the street on April 5. Produced by Andrew Mazzone (Caged Heat) and mixed by Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Hole), the album's a snarling, instant classic that straddles rock's early glory days and point to its future. Maybe its salvation. Singer Jennifer D'Angora's soulful, lightly sandpapered voice and J.J. Rassler's (ex-DMZ) snarling lead guitar twine to propel the Downbeat 5's sound toward garage heaven while bassist Mike Yocco, who's played with John Sinclair's Blues Scholars, and drummer Eric Almquist add rocket fuel to the group's rhythmic thrust.

"The Downbeat 5, ''Victory Motel," Hi-N-Dry. This is in the running for local garage-rock album of the year. Singer Jennifer D'Angora is like a primal Joan Jett with a punky touch of Patti Smith and the Ramones. Guitarist JJ Rassler is known for his heyday with punkers DMZ, but this band represents a tremendous revival of spirit for him. The original songs are strong, but so are the cover tunes as the band dives into the Animals's ''Outcast" and two Barry/Greenwich songs, ''Out in the Streets" and a juiced-up ''Dum Dum Ditty." Sheer adrenaline drives this CD." -Boston Globe