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
Lenz 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