Artist: Boss Tweed
Released: 2008
Three years after their self-titled debut, Boss Tweed still hold onto their signature form. Carolyn Sills is once again charging in full throttle, and with the genius of the Egan/Reed duo around her, she delivers in grand style. And although Boss Tweed certainly don’t shy away from a positive public response, resting on their laurels is, for now, out of the question for these lovable Brooklynites. Five Little Lies is proof of that. Despite its bashfully small format, it’s another showcase of the extraordinary potential of a band that only gets more intense with time.
Small as it is next to the debut, Five Little Lies feels more substantial and pretty ambitious. Five more-or-less sweet tracks tease with enviable energy, which comes down first and foremost to Carolyn’s hot-bloodedness. She often lets her vocal cords hop over the borders of so-called vocal decency and happily digs very close to the territory where the edge and character of traditional blues live. Opener Lie To Me and Bottles Cans stay true to this manner. When it comes to letting raw natural energy loose, the two songs are a step in the right direction, since, vocally above all, they proudly carry a helping of animal wildness we haven’t heard from her until now. Prince Of The Upper West Side is one of those songs whose crafty balancing act between genres best captures the essence of Boss Tweed. Undoubtedly the favorite of the record. A dreamy vocal extravaganza, in the full glory of the band’s trademark melancholy, turns an extremely simple vocal line into a heart-wrenching tune, and then hits you right in the gut with a sensational solo by Gerard Egan on top of it. Damn thrilling! Of all the “five lies,” I Never Cared For You comes off as the least convincing, with its Renaissance intro and Cave-esque vocals later on, while Mona Lisa veers off in a completely different direction. The mellow mix of rockabilly and surf, once again under Egan’s direction, delights with its piercing subtlety, so very much in tune with the Boss Tweed message.
Five Little Lies challenges you from the start, and over a good fifteen minutes of big-mouthed melancholy and joy, it doesn’t let you slip into indifference this time either. The impressive escalation of form is, at its spiciest moments, shattering at the very least, if not frighteningly toxic. And with a freshly added pinch of sexuality, it’s downright irresistible.
Lineup
Carolyn Sills: vocals, bass
Gerard Egan: guitar, vocals
Eric Reed: drums
Production
Boss Tweed
Track list
1.Lie To Me
2.Bottles & Cans
3.Prince Of The Upper West Side
4.I Never Cared For YOu
5.Mona Lisa
Album length: 15.36
