Lo*Chine
Smile for the Ladies EP
Mellow first track ‘After 8’ begins with a Primal Scream style drum intro and funky meandering guitar before lead singer Sarah Millard’s distinctive voice erupts to destroy the calm. The finest elements of this track are the superb bass-line and the jazzy instrumental section which is augmented with an agreeable vocal riff: ‘bah bah-bah, bah bah bah-bah’. However, Sarah’s vocal style in this song isn’t quite to my taste and I prefer the silkier style of the next track, which displays her softer side and versatility.
Second track ‘You There (Smile for the Ladies)’ is much funkier and catchier. It’s so dancy that even Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega would have to stop flirting for five minutes and race each other to the floor. The vocals and general style are reminiscent of No Doubt circa 1992 ( if you don’t believe me, check out some of their stuff at antique-downloads.com!* ) with lyrics about cowboy hats, the Doobie Brothers and great hair – not grey hair as I first thought. I’m a little sensitive about that at the moment! The chorus has all the ingredients needed for success; it’s simple, repetitive and memorable. The extra male vocal complements the female lead splendidly and is of such a deep and sensual nature that one wonders if Barry White is still ‘with us’. Great stuff.
The cover of the EP features a tasty blue Cadillac that looks like it’s fresh from MTV’s Pimp My Ride. And Lo*Chine sound like they’ve had a bit of polishing and fine-tuning too. So, if you’re in need of some fuel-injected funk in your life, may I suggest you order a large slice of Lo*Chine.
*Sorry there’s no such website, but there should be!
Written by Bussey on
