JULIETTE AND THE LICKS
Four on the Floor
Hassle

Before we had Juliette Lewis: Rock Star, we had Juliette Lewis: Movie Star. Juliette Lewis is an Oscar-nominated superstar that picked eclectic film roles that best suited her female-Jack-Nicholson-incarnate persona. It makes sense that she would then go on to make music that goes straight for the gonads, boys.

Yeah, girls can rock hard, too.

Juliette moonlighted in The Prodigy for a while, singing vocals on “Hot Ride” on the Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned album, which seems like the precursor to Four on the Floor, the new album release.

In 2004, Juliette and the Licks released Like a Bolt of Lightning EP with the follow-up Linda Perry-produced debut album You’re Speaking My Language. In Juliette’s own words [in a Classic Rock Mag interview] however: “We produced that first album ourselves, so it’s a bit unfocused. Working with a real producer [Dylan MCLaren] helped us realize our sound. Our songwriting has improved so much, and having Dave [Grohl] with us added this entire new fucking engine. It’s a real rock record from start to finish.”

So now we have the latest release Four On The Floor out on the July 24, 2007 in the U.S. The UK has had the album for a while because Britain and Europe are the testing grounds for this nuclear explosion of talent. Considering Lewis is more well-known in the U.S., the support from the UK and Europe has obviously been enough to act as the springboard for the assault on the U.S.

As an artist Juliette is reminiscent of Linda Perry, Pink, and Joan Jett. Even Mick Jagger and Steve Tyler in female form. But lets not forget the band, made up of veritable rockers … Kemble Walters on lead guitar, Todd Morse on guitar, Jason Womack on bass, and Ed Davis on drums.

Now, as mentioned, Dave Grohl appeared on the album as guest drummer, along with using his very own 606 Studios. His influence is there and evident on Track 6 “Purgatory Blues,” the more Foo Fighters-esque song of the lot.

Tracks “Smash and Grab,” “Hot Kiss,” and “Sticky Honey: are exactly the kind of vocal sex I was talking about. The kind of songs you can funk too and make funk to. “Sticky Honey” is the stand-out track, which reminds me of The Hives … but wait … so much better. Track 4 “Killer” is the dancey track. Get up off your lazy arse and dance! Shake your hips and hair and boogie.

Track 5 “Death of a Whore” is the slow-burner. It hauntingly reminds me of Juliette’s turn in Natural Born Killers, but I’ve tried to not talk film. What she is doing is talking like Bob Dylan did on “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” There’s rock and roll in there, there’s melody. It’s disjointed, but goddamn it works.

With Track 7 “Get Up,” the influence here is The Rolling Stones. They are even quoted in the song. Not bad considering the reference I made earlier.

Tracks 8 and 9, “Mind Full Of Daggers” and “Bullshit King,” are what Nick Oliveri would’ve written in his trademark style, but enough of the observational “influences,” Juliette and the Licks make it there own.

Track 10 “Inside the Cage” is a breathy heavy track that perfectly finishes a well-rounded album, very much a favorite of mine.

Juliette and the Licks love to and regularly interact with fans. They love fan artwork, include fan photos on their own Myspace, etc., this is something sorely missing from rock acts from the past and present where money becomes the overriding factor instead of the absolute love for rock. Juliette and the Licks love to rock, love rock, and love their fans, other bands I feel should take stock of this fact.

Go buy this album!

Official Juliette and the Licks Website
Juliette and the Licks on MySpace