If the Donnas really did turn 21 when their album The Donnas Turn 21 came out, then that would make them, what ... 24 years old?

And 24-year-olds are real mature, right? They, like, play shuffleboard. Actually, kind of not. But the Donnas certainly seem mature. The teen queens of clit rock (yes, that's a cock rock reference) have outgrown the three-chord AC/DC model that worked for five albums.

This sixth album, Gold Medal, may not be as raw or as cheeky as previous stuff, but maybe that's just because the Donnas are all grown up.

See, Gold Medal is slower and more pensive than what we expect out of our favorite sassy ladies.

There are songs that are about more than just getting liquored up and going down on guys. And there's less guitar 'cause Donna A., who now goes as Brett Anderson, gave up the strings to focus on vocals. And the drummer hurt her wrists, so the rhythm's a bit less thrashing than, say, "Take It Off," from the Donnas' slammin' major label chart-topper a couple years back.

But the laid-back beats and more sparse sound work for Gold Medal, which should definitely be lauded for its licks and riffs galore, intricate production and hazy '70s vibe that's more Hookah Lounge than CBGBs.

Plus, give the grrrls a break -- they were probably sick of playing the same song over and over again in vaguely different arrangements for the past six years. No one's going to mistake "Fall Behind Me" or the stellar title track for the Donnas circa their Lookout! Records days.

It may not be all sexual swagger and booze for the Donnas anymore, but sleep easy tonight, because we still have Andrew W.K. for partying till we puke.

-- By Caralyn Green