Album Review by Mark Bayross
Juliette Lewis and her Licks are rapidly getting a reputation for explosive live shows and given the snarling beast of an opener (and recent single) that is the title track of YOU’RE SPEAKING MY LANGUAGE, it’s not hard to picture the frenzy Ms Lewis can whip up on stage when she’s in the mood.
There’s a raw intensity throughout this album’s short running time – songs like I NEVER GOT TO TELL YOU WHAT I WANTED TO would give Courtney Love a run for her money in the unhinged crazy stakes, and with everything from electro punk (GOT LOVE TO KILL) to hair rock (PRAY FOR THE BAND LATOYA) getting a look in, there’s plenty here to get your collective ass shaking.
But that’s not the whole story. The album has its fair share of reflective moments and is accessible and poppy enough to appeal to wide range of people. The likes of MONEY IN MY POCKET and SEVENTH SIGN are catchy and tuneful, while THIS I KNOW, BY THE HEAT OF YOUR LIGHT and torch song closer LONG ROUND OUT OF HERE provide moments of reflection amid the straight ahead guitar thrills.
This all makes for a fun and uncomplicated debut album, with plenty of variety and clearly lots of passion. If the thought of grappling with a bone fide film star in a sweaty club somewhere doesn’t entice you to the front of one of her live shows, this collection of raw pop moments should.
