Send "Wendy James " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Klavs |
 Transvision Vamp was an awesome band - totally on par with the 2 other bands I'd place in the same category: Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Westworld. Generally they were all underrated by reviewers, but in reality way above their reputation and way better than the competition.Wendy did a 10 track solo album Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears [1993] of Elvis Costello penned songs accompanied by no less than 12 b-side tracks. I've never been a particular big fan of that album, but some of the songs are not bad at all, especially some of the b-sides. After that she made 2 albums as Racine. The first one was a great album that I really like (Racine #1 [2004]) having a pleasant mix of electronica and pop and mostly being a solo album (I believe...) The second Racine album (Racine #2 [2007]) had more of a garage rock attitude and was a full band effort. It worked really well live and I was lucky enough to see them at Stengade 30 in 2007, but as an album it lacked a bit. Some of the songs were simply not quite strong enough....full text |
| Popmatters |
| Recorded largely in Paris, this latest offering from former Transvision Vamp vocalist Wendy James more often recalls New York City and the dusty, desolate outback of the American West. In its way, the 13-track release is also a throwback, sounding more akin to a record from, say, 1993 than 2011. That’s not a bad thing. There’s nary a trace of the production hallmarks of this decade or the last. The record sounds like it might have been recorded live in the studio during a few hot-burnt sessions in the French summertime all those years ago. It’s an easy, breezy, devil-may-care affair that comes incredibly close to working from end to end. The opening “The Moon Is Dead in the River” calls to mind the Church at their peak and finds James delivering some of her best understated vocals. She never overemotes, nor does she strain to impress. Instead, she inhabits the song with well-worn comfort and an undeniable coolness. It’s the same for the attitudinal “Don’t Shoot––I Ain’t Dillinger” and the decidedly vintage New Wave vibe of “Speedball”, a track that would easily make both Richard Hell and Black Francis proud. It’s those tougher-than-tough moments that are James’ real strength. Those strengths are most audible when the rock is of the straight-ahead, raw, four-on-the-floor variety. When a New Orleans-like beat enters the picture on “No Dice”, the tune doesn’t carry the same impact as its sisters. The dance-y, pop-ish “Municipal Blues” still has lyrical bite but lacks musical punch, leaving James sounding a bit out of place. The penultimate track “You’re A Fucking Mess, But You Sure Is Pretty” never lives up to the promise inherent in its title, although it is an impressive cross of loft party punk and Brechtian bomp....full text |
Wendy James lyrics
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