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Elly Roberts reviews

Juliette Lewis: Terra Incognita

Distributed by
Roadrunner Records

Released: September 2009

Rating: 6/10

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Third release, with out her regular band.

When actors switch codes to wannabe rock stars, it’s fraught with pot-holes. Sadly, some have tried in vain – the list is too long to mention. After stints supported by garage rockers The Licks, she’s gone for a full blown solo at the age of 36.

There are moments were this album, produced by Omar Rodriguez – Lopez, really packs a punch like crunching Goth rocker Noche Sin Fin, but there are far to many messy bits especially on All Is For God and progressive rocker Female Persecution, where they lack any cohesion. Ok, they’re meant to be edgy songs, but shambolic is probably more appropriate. The latter sounds like an outtake of a bad, really bad, White Stripes album. The cacophonous drumming and sharp wah wah’d guitar are too jarring.

Heavy rocker Junkyard Heart again proves difficult to swallow sounding too much like some disorganised jam session.

Things vastly improve on the country-tinged rocker Uh Huh where she plays it right-down-the–middle scoring some serious Brownie points. Gone is the hollering, using a more disciplined approach making her voice more efficient and appealing.

Power ballad Suicide Dive Bombers is arguably the best constructed song here – it starts with acoustic strums and a fragile vocal, rising and falling with devastating effect, which on the run-in allows her tubes to unleash an earth shattering performance. The less intrusive production is key to its success. The same also applies to laid-back bluesy rocker Hard Lovin’ Woman – this is tight and sharp accompanied by a peculiar Robert Plant-like vocal – it works brilliantly though, but she loses it again on frenetic rocker Fantasy Bar, the weakest song here.

Fuzzy psychedelic ballad Romeo restores some writing craft, creating a creating atmosphere, while menacingly fragile Ghosts could be right out of Janis Joplin’s late period.

The Verdict: Mixed results.

Weblink: juliettelewis.org

The full list of tracks included are :

1. Intro 2. Noche Sin Fin 3. Terra Incognita 4. Hard Lovin’ Woman 5. Fantasy Bar 6. Romeo 7. Ghosts 8. All Is For God 9. Female Persecution 10. Uh Huh 11. Junkyard Heart 12. Suicide Dive Bombers

Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.

As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B 37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.

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