Pop Levi’s previous album,
Never Never Love, found the L.A. transplant expanding the glammy
T. Rex-inspired rock & roll of his debut album into something much more funky and
Prince-inspired.
Medicine cuts a lot of the stuttering beats and near-hip-hop swagger in favor of something much more focused with a classic rock strut. It took
Levi at least one try (initial attempts at a third album were shelved) and four years to record the album, and the time and effort seem to have stripped away a lot of the offbeat shimmer and shine from his sound. Most of the record is very straightahead and trad-sounding, with tracks like “Motorcycle 666” and “Rock Solid” hitting the rock & roll nail right on the head, featuring pummeling beats and raw guitars. Other tracks have the bluesy cockwalk of
the Black Crowes (“Terrifying,” “Medicine” ), the herky jerk feel of
the Hives played with the precision of
the Strokes (“Midnite Runaround,” “Police Sign”), and only a tiny a bit of the robotic funk of the last album (“Strawberry Shake”), this time played with more guitar-heavy bite. While
Levi does play a pretty convincing rocker with his elfin, Bolan-pretty voice and the nicely punchy production, where the album works best is on the ballads, where
Levi forgets about rocking and lets sweet melodies and possibly some real emotion take over. “Coming Down” has a very pretty melody on the verses and an insistent chorus that builds powerfully and “Bye Byes” is a loping, acoustic love-lost song that comes closest to exposing the real
Levi. Overall,
Medicine is an enjoyable diversion. ~ Tim Sendra