“STARK, The Curse--"Explicit lyrics" and "hard rock" don't begin to cover STARK's full-length CD. Scorching guitar licks, screaming yet melodic vocals, and driving bass lines make this an irresistible CD, but not one you'd want to play at work, especially during the simulated orgasm on "Slut." The CD covers the gamut of feelings a sexually liberated woman feels over the course of a bad relationship from horny to angry to sad to glad-to-be-free. A couple of tracks show the band's softer side and its wide range. Pick this one up if you want to let out your wild child and cruise around with the girls.” - Mel Goldsipe

“STARK--The Curse CD Review: For all its punk regalia--camo, chains, spikes, and the rest, STARK is more like a Rocky Horror trailer park theme remixed for the now fabled Meow Mix crowd. Leading lady Lani Ford, nursing a serious Chrissy Hynde infection, has got an impressive set of pipes. Ranting female orgasm slut speak, she has the kind of mouth that Tipper would love to slap a sticker over. A little bit honky-tonk, all the way from the Lone Star state, you can take the girl outta Texas...well, you know that rest.” - Maria Schettino

“The Curse CD Review: STARK featuring Lani Ford has style. Lani has a wonderful, deep sexy voice. This is a knockout CD. Rich and heartfelt that reflects her cool Texas heritage. You can hear a wonderful twang in the painful lyrics. "The Curse" brings it all home. A definite must in any sound station.” - Starr Tucker

“The Curse CD Review: STARK's Lani Ford must be one of the most honest people walking the planet today. Her lyrics are penned with the intimate abandon that is usually reserved for one's diary. With STARK, she transforms these personal reveries into emotionally charged Rock'N'Roll. Alternating between the sneering confidence of Chrissie Hynde and the mournful soul of Patsy Cline, The Curse weaves a tale of loneliness, heartbreaks and one-night-stands like the jukebox Country in a desert highway dive. Somehow Lani has mustered the courage to reveal her innermost self, a rare trait within the egotistical realm of Rock'N'Roll. More power to her.” - Chuck Foster

“STARK's CD "The Curse" begins with raw garage band tones that quickly make way for well-produced punk rock ala early Pretenders and Patti Smith. Front-woman, Lani Ford, writes and sings with conviction and disdain for her surroundings, whether crooning about relationships or shouting about the graphic sexual reality that splatters with angst and power in track 2's "Look at Me". She unabashedly self-incriminates without fear. In track 3, "Slut", Ford describes her line of exploits with honesty, "i don't eat pussy goddamnit, i just keeping thinking about all these guys". STARK rises far above any female fronted punk rock band we've heard because Ford and company push the paper-cutting envelope so far that your tongue bleeds with the pleasure of honest raw rock and roll. The result is exaltation in the effort. So refreshing. Track 7 is an anthem for a part of the country that hasn't really had a song to brag about. "White Trash Rock and Roll Diva" is a tasty bit of tacky, 'i got no class, and you like my ass, but before you say what i think you're going to say, i don't need no boys, i just chew them up, and when i'm done you know i'll throw you away, cause i'm a white trash rock and roll diva'. In track 12, "Summer Girl", Lani starts with sweet vocal interpretation in a massive change to country/rock story-telling. The lyrics stay punk and it's our favorite on the record. She describes a girl she gave a ride to one summer day, "baby in her stomach may not make it til next week and as i drop her off i noticed...thanks for the ride man i really needed a lift today, i wish i could pay...i'm homeless and i'm manless ain't got no shoes upon my feet...and when i go to hell i hope it's somewhere further from the heat". The final and title track is a perfect musically disturbing ode to alcoholism, hate, and jealousy as Ford describes the shame of five generations, 'the curse, it's my inheritance you see. .it's got it's stranglehold on me'. STARK scores big with the entire offering, as they push real rock music, raw punk music, blatantly right music, in a space and time where the attitude is hard to find.”

“I should have known Lani Ford and Stark would be difficult to quantify. I only just became aware of the band after some chance small talk with Lani who was tending a bar my girlfriend wanted to check out in NYC for the tacky tiki decor. The CD mix she had going ranged from Motorhead to Janis Joplin. So it probably shouldn't have come as any surprise that Stark's CD, "The Curse" could be equally described as raunchy, sweet, sneering and soulful. The sound hovers somewhere between punk, country, blues, pop, folk - never quite settling on any one for long enough to become cliche. There's some very solid musicianship and production value, yet there's also a "garage band" feel that makes it sound like you're getting in on the ground floor of something about to break bigger. For my personal tastes, the tracks from six on are my favorites. Less shock-value punk and more articulate yet never losing that defining raw edge that ties it all together. Brutally honest and real - worth the time to listen!” - Gordon Bond

“Stark ist die Band um Lani Ford, die sich ansonsten als Verkehrsreporterin beim Sender Fox 5 ihre Brötchen verdient. Stark ist möglicherweise eine Art «Ausgleich» zu ihrem Job? Auf «The curse» merkt man dem Trio, zu dem auch Dylan Grewen und Greg Schiff gehören, einen Punkhintergrund an, obwohl der nicht durchwegs dominiert. Die dreizehn Songs sind roh, kurz, spartanisch, kommen schnell ohne Federlesen zur Sache (gilt auch für die Nicht-Punk-Songs). Das Trio erinnert zuweilen an Legal Weapon, die frühe Patti Smith oder X. Leider rocken nicht alle Songs so aufregend wie «Look at me» (So viele Männer aber meine Finger machen es in 30 Sekunden: Selbstbefriedigung und so), «Wrong guy» («Look at me» verwundert da nicht mehr) oder «White trash R&R diva». Und wenn sie dann mal nicht rocken, sind leider auch nicht alle Songs so tiefgreifend wie «Summer girl» oder das bedrückende «The curse».--, Translation (by Elke Nominkat): Stark is the band around Lani Ford who otherwise brings home the bacon as traffic reporter for Fox 5. Stark is possibly the "balance" to her daytime job? On "The Curse" one can tell that the trio - Dylan Grewen and Greg Schiff are also part of it - comes from a punk background, which isn't always dominating though. The thirteen songs are raw, short, spartan and get to the point immediately (this goes for the non-punk songs as well). At times, the trio recalls Legal Weapon, the early Patty Smith or X. Unfortunately though, not all songs rock as exciting as "Look at Me" (so many men but my fingers do it in 30 seconds: masturbation and such), "Wrong Guy" (no wonder that there's a song like "Look at Me") or "White Trash R&R Diva". And if they're not rocking, their songs are sadly not as radical as "Summer Girl" or the oppressive "The Curse".” - Robert Pally

““This album has been out for around four years now but still worth picking up as there’s some good tunes on here from Lani Ford and Co. This is raw NYC sleazy Punk/New Wave being played with passion and you can hear that in songs like ‘Look At Me’, ‘Slut’, ‘Wrong Guy’, ‘Beautiful Mistake’ and ‘Summer Girl’. I guess if you’re going to compare STARK with any bands I would agree that crossing the Pretenders with Patti Smith is the nearest you’re going to get. However the music STARK play isn’t blatant copying and the same can be said of the lyrics too! STARK stand out as their own people and rightfully so. Certainly an album worth tracking down.”” - Steve DIY

“STARK-THE CURSE(CD) Lani Ford which sings and plays bass in this group is obvisiously some sort of newsgirl when she don´t play music. She sings as she have been a member in Pretenders and then I mean early Pretenders and on this record they´re ot so far from that group. Really nice punky pop is what Stark is playing but you become happy and I wouldn´t be surprised if groups like the newly mentioned Pretenders, Blondie and similar groups have been inspiration for Lani when she did her songs….Nothing new under the sun but surely nothing to be ashamed of either.(SEVEN)” - Peter Thorsson

“Stark - The Curse Lani Ford puts a tough chick slant on a voice in the midground between Ann Wilson and Annie Lenox. Spouting brash, often R-rated poetry while pounding out bass lines, she is the heart and soul of Stark, but not the only reason that this is a very good band. The backdrop of Josette’s gritty and intricate guitarwork fueled by the punkish beats of drummer Sweet Rob Endemann create a rock machine that will nail you right between the eyes. Not merely punk, alt, classic or metal, but possessing elements of all of them, this is pure rock with some interesting twists.” - Mark Waterbury