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Finally, the Goth Queen & Her Coven give us the long awaited collection of some of Coven's unreleased material that she's promised her "cherished friends" at her MySpace sites for some time now. And Jinx Dawson has selected the appropriate number of songs for the new CD: thirteen. Indeed, the significance of this number in relation to Jinx's life is well known by now to anyone who is familar with her life -- from her birthdate on Friday the 13th to the number of people in the traditional witches' coven where her band took its name. The compilation of songs included on this CD spans decades, as she continued to make music long after Coven's "Witchcraft" LP and the hit "One Tin Soldier". And despite the various personnel changes of her band(s), one thing has remained constant: Jinx and Coven drummer Steve Ross's commitment of creating high quality music. The opening track "Goth Queen Greeting" typifies the over-the-top presence of Jinx. And with a little help from Ferris Odium in a backing track that includes samples of Coven's 1969 "Satanic Mass", the Goth Queen addresses her legions of demons i.e. "cherished friends". "I will be silent no more," she intones during the intro . . . and after the Latin parts are recited, the listener knows this bitch is for real. "Black Swan", "Star Crossed" and "Out of the Rain" display Jinx's talent of crafting powerful melodies over inventive chord changes . . . very impressive when one realizes as a composer, she's a musical autodidact. The harmonic progressions are unique and the modulations are smooth . . . skills I wouldn't expect from someone who was virtually self-taught. Furthermore, Tommy Bolin's contributions to these studio tracks shouldn't be overlooked . . . These recordings may be the last studio work the legendary guitarist did. "Night People" reminds us that the music of the Goth Queen is best enjoyed after the sun sets. This track alerts the straight world to the decadence of those who choose the nocturnal lifestyle. As a dance song, I would recommend this selection to people looking for an excuse to imbibe mountains of coke and boogie woogie until the break of dawn, when it's time to flee back to their collective coffins before the sun turns them to stone. Music historians will be pleased to note that Glenn Cornick from Jethro Tull fame played bass on these plus "Midnight Man" and "Tender is the Night". The aforementioned tracks notwithstanding, I'll confess that my favorite part of this release is the "Live Tracks" rehearsal towards the end. These songs marked the direction Jinx wanted to take Coven after "Blood On the Snow" in 1974 . . . For these performances, ex-Steppenwolf guitarist Michael Monarch added some powerful guitar parts. This material features some of Jinx's best arrangements to date. "Silverbird" contains some amazing interplay between the guitar and keyboards . . . and Jinx's vocal pulls the listener on a soaring flight into the ether. The destination of this voyage could be anywhere . . . from the gardens of paradise to the terrors of the abyss. All of you Mellotron fans will love the intro to "Love Flies on the Wing". "LiveWire" possesses anglophilic overtones not found in earlier Coven recordings. And as usual, the bass playing of Oz Osborne still shines through . . . his fretless Guild drives Jinx's music along to amazing climaxes. All in all, a great album that ends right where it began . . . with the commanding voice of the Goth Queen herself in a dark liturgy. But this time, it's a bizarre sex rite honouring the Prince of Darkness. Lastly, it should be noted that Jinx did all the artwork on the CD . . . And as always, the ubiquitous horned hand salute is included, as it was since "Witchcraft" in 1969 . . . So mote it be.(Matt Affeltranger for Music Review Services)