Flame-haired keeper of the rockabilly flame
Kim Lenz
comes into her own on her long-awaited third album,
It's All True
The sound is as vintage and pure as it's always been, seemingly recorded into a single ribbon microphone in complete takes, with
the Jaguars
ripping it up behind her gutsy vocals. Guitarist
Nick Curran
throws some surprising touches into his fleet solos, while bassist
Jake Erwin
and drummer
Scotty Tecce
keep the songs popping and bouncing. As befits a Texas native,
Lenz
keeps a country twang and a
Buddy Holly
-esque hiccup prominent in her delivery, though she can shout the walls down with all the force of
Wanda Jackson
or
Janis Martin
. Of course, she can also slow it down and get seductive when she wants to, as demonstrated by the swinging, bluesy
"I'll Tell You When"
and the country-tinged lament
"I Break a Heart Every Night."
Unlike many modern rockabilly acts, she also writes the lioness' share of her material -- eight of the album's twelve tracks are
originals, including one co-written with rockabilly revival king
Big Sandy
. But the album's tone is most strongly set by its opening and closing tracks,
"Touch Me"
and
"Shined Up and Ready to Shout."
They're fast, furious, and guaranteed to get toes tapping and dancers spinning on the floor. ~ Phil Freeman