Juliette Lewis - Terra Incognita Review

An air of bemusement seems to follow Hollywood film stars when they embark on a musical career; partially because we're all wondering why they'd want to, but mainly because most of the output is pretty damn awful.

Fortunately this doesn't apply to Juliette Lewis who, after five years, two full length albums and numerous tours and festivals, is still going strong. She's dispensed with the services of previous band The Licks and got a new group together to produce a sound that's certainly more arty and definitely more adventurous on Terra Incognita.

It's her first outing with producer Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta; the two set out with the intention of creating a vibe that's melodic, yet unpredictable. But whilst it's definitely melodic and maintains an air of Lewis' trademark kookiness, there's little that's unpredictable about it. The title may mean unknown territory, but there's nothing about this album that's uncharted....full text Abandoning her longtime backing band the Licks, Juliette Lewis dials down the aggression, amps up the introspection, and adds a dose of weirdness on her third album, Terra Incognita. As always, what Lewis wants to achieve is apparent and admirable, but not necessarily quite what is achieved. PJ Harvey and Patti Smith remain touchstones, but she relies heavily on both blues and atmosphere, moving away from the churning, ominous vamps and explosions of aggression and toward a leaner, streamlined sound. Unlike its predecessors, Terra Incognita doesn't feel overly indebted to her idols; rather, it feels like Lewis is finally distilling those influences into her own signature, one where her love for PJ and Patti is still transparent, one that still relies too heavily on awkward gutter poetry, but one that conveys her own world view, for better or for worse....full text Give Juliette Lewis credit: She can blow Keanu Reeves out of the water any day. After two garage-rock records, she's dropped her band the Licks and taken an arty, adventurous turn. Omar from Mars Volta produces, and Lewis has been working phrases like "sonic contrasts" into interviews. The conceptual stuff is ill-advised — she's inane critiquing L.A. decadence on "Fantasy Bar"; there's also an atmospheric snooze called "Female Persecution." But she's a competent angst-belter who knows how to imitate singers she likes, from Courtney Love to Kim Carnes — even if her Janis Joplin is too close to 30 Rock for comfort....full text