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.
Photographer: Joseph Cultice.
Yes, It's All True: KIM LENZ is back.
The titian-haired, vivacious Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter-guitarist established herself as the top modern rockabilly songstress with a pair of widely praised albums for Hightone Records and rapturously received performances across the States and in Europe; Rolling Stone raved, 'If Elvis had been a woman, he probably would have sounded just like Kim Lenz.
'After a recording and performing hiatus that left fans panting for her return, Kim is back in the groove with her best recorded work yet, the album It's All True, which she produced herself and is releasing on her own Riley Records imprint. The new collection is a flaming slab of fuel-injected contemporary rockabilly that handsomely shows off Kim's sass, energy, and romp-stomping vocal chops. It secures her position in the small pantheon of great female rockabilly singers that includes Wanda Jackson and the late Janis Martin - singers with whom Lenz has shared many a stage. And it displays the genre's diversity and impact.
The new album features the fearsome instrumental firepower of the reconvened Jaguars - guitarist Nick Curran, bassist Jake Erwin, and drummer Scotty Tecce - and a guest vocal appearance by Southern California's soulful rockabilly maestro Big Sandy. The 12 tracks include seven Kim Lenz originals, a track co-written by Kim and Big Sandy, a number crafted expressly for Kim by the Lucky Stars' Sage Guyton, and two rampaging covers.
Back in the game and ready to rock, Kim Lenz and the Jaguars will support It's All True with live appearances around the country in the spring and summer of 2009.
Personnel: Nick Curran (guitar); Jake Erwin (upright bass); Scotty Tecce (drums).
Recording information: Joey's Place; Ocean Ranch Studios.
172023 
buttons below to play song samples
Adobe Flash
Email a Friend
