★★★☆☆

Pretty Reckless, a relatively new band that released its first album in 2010, has had difficulty shaking its debilitating image. The band’s lead singer, Taylor Momsen, had just ended her contract in the CW teen hit TV show, “Gossip Girl,” when the band first released its album “Light Me Up.” While Pretty Reckless wanted to establish itself as a serious rock band, Taylor Momsen’s good girl image seemed to chip away at the legitimacy of the band. Instead of appearing like a badass Joan Jett, she seemed more like a petulant Avril Lavigne. Surprisingly, in its sophomore album “Going to Hell,” Pretty Reckless does not actively focus on destroying this image of “good girl.” The over-the-top lyrics, the consistent screeching and the excessively provocative videos were not desperately accentuated in this album like they were in the previous. Instead, Pretty Reckless dynamically embraces both the good girl and bad girl personalities of Momsen.

Pretty Reckless is one of the few rock bands that has proven, even before its second album, that is has the ability to be nebulous with regard to genre. Momsen’s versatile voice can portray the emotions of a country song as convincingly as the anger associated with numerous rock bands. In “Going to Hell,” the album offers diverse perspectives of what it means to live in hell. In “Follow Me Down,” the opening track, one hears the mewling and moaning sounds of Momsen while she engages in sexual activity. The use of the confession booth scene firmly determines the song as one of the album’s most provocative. Once the initial shock factor is overcome, the track takes on a very Muse-like aesthetic and becomes a good example of modern rock. One of the most captivating tracks on the album is “House on a Hill.” The track begins with a voiceover of a brainwashed man who despondently states: “We are living in an artificially induced state of consciousness that resembles sleep. Their attention to rule lies with the annihilation of society.”

The track unfolds the story of citizens living in an apocalyptic society who continuously search for any sign of hope. It encompasses the sorrow of living in an endless hell while fusing electric guitar, strings and strong vocals from Momsen.

Another surprise of the album is the sheer vulnerability conveyed by Momsen. In “Burn,” a stripped-down coffeehouse tune, Momsen croons about the prison of an abusive relationship while in “Dear Sister,” another easier tune, she tells of a young girl leaving her family to pursue a semblance of happiness.

While the album explores the wider variety and depth of Momsen’s voice and goes a long way in distancing itself from the less skilled, angry belting of the band’s first album, there is definitely something missing from this successor. The brashness of lyrics and attitude throughout the album is pulled off to mixed success. The thumping hard rock and grunge sounds of tracks like “Why’d You Bring a Shotgun to the Party” have an edge that is hard to resist. However, the constant pouring out of aggressive, troubled-teen songs can become tiresome. More stripped back, acoustic songs like “Waiting for a Friend” are a welcome relief from her usual snarling. The brash explicitness of the album, from the highly unambiguous album title to the moaning on the opening track treads a thin line between being deliciously wicked and frustratingly excessive.

Nonetheless, “Going to Hell” is a decent rebuttal to the naysayers regarding the talent and the potential of Pretty Reckless. Despite maintaining its youthful rebelliousness in its lyrics, its sound has developed into something more mature and impressive. This album has established the band as a talent to be contended with, and if the band continues in this upward spiral, it is sure to find success in mainstream music.