Juliette And The Licks – ‘Four On The Floor’ (Hassle) Released 28/05/07

When an A-list movie star releases a record, the painful wince that comes straight after the words “Oh Shit…Really?” are usually too much for the public to take, especially after hearing the actor/actress cite that their talent in music had not been given the time to grow due to “Other Commitments” but “It’s always been there…”. With the likes of Jared Leto churning out his brand of future Goth crap, and Keanu Reeves still going on about his band that no one has even heard of, is there enough room for another high profile actor to try and assault the masses via another media machine? Well when it comes to Juliette Lewis, you’ll do well to have a little more patience.

In the tradition of the likes of The D4, The Hives and The Datsuns, Juliette and The Licks are all about no brainer rock’n’roll, full of “Yeah” and “Alright” one liners, straight edge guitar lines and simple mosh-easy anthems, so don’t be expecting anything groundbreaking here. You can put your wince face away now…

Although major highlights on this album are a little sparse, they’re there alright, you just have to trudge through the crap to get to the good stuff, as most of the album comes off like a Datsuns B-sides album with a major lack of hooks and catchy chorus lines, but get through that and it’s a relatively enjoyable record to get a party to wake up. Highlights coming from the likes of current single ‘Hot Kiss’ that sees Lewis’s prowess as an electric frontwoman come to the surface, and the deceptively sweet anthem ‘Sticky Honey’ that picks up the pace with a more layered approach to vocals and an annoyingly addictive chorus are gems showing that she has the chops to pull off a fairly convincing stint in a rock band. Her voice on all tracks is diverse and reassuringly cool, as a gravel ravaged rasp one minute and then a cutesy style vocal that sounds like her character from Cape Fear is singing about beating up boys and then doing naughty things to them, is unique and full of gusto. Oh yeah, it’s sexy in a kinda perverted way, but judging from Lewis’s live shows and the sensual rough and tumble nature of her act, she likes it that way.

Of course there are downsides to the album such as the absolutely horrible ‘Death Of A Whore’ that tells a story of truck-stop hookers making their way in the seedy greasy world of the Gas–Station sex industry, that is as boring as it is annoying on the senses as Lewis settles for a spoken word approach whilst her guitarists make carnival music in the background – not one of the better tracks ever conceived in the world of rock. Mediocrity flies in and out from time to time with tracks like ‘Killer’ and the powerless ‘Inside The Cage’ with it’s monotonous guitars and a semi conscious Dave Grohl adding nothing to the tune that could have benefit from his expertise – a recurring theme with the legendary drummer as his stamp is disappointingly faint throughout the entire album.

It becomes clear after the first rotation that ‘Four On The Floor’ and even her band Juliette And The Licks, is purely a platform for her to work a stage, as each song that lacks power on record would surely sound better live, and anyone whom has seen her work a crowd would agree. It is an honest album lacking major production and the glitz and glamour that she could have easily paid for, and in that sense you have to respect her for it, as she ain’t doin it for the money! The Beatles once said “Rock’n’Roll is not a career.” – just be glad Lewis seems to think so too.