Is there anything sexier than a girl with a guitar? Just ask Bonnie Raitt, Sue Foley or Glasgow's own Caragh Nugent. Joining the list is the axe toting Lisa Lim, whose MySpace page states "She's known for her fierce lead, slide and rhythmic guitar playing that will leave you breathless!" Before pressing 'play' I make sure I've a glass of Jack in one hand, an oxygen mask in the other.
Starting with an ode to muscle cars - "My 442" - that bursts with punky/trashy sex and attitude, Lisa's double tracked vocals summon an automotive affair that makes Arnie and Christine seem like puppy love. This is strangely appropriate, as the second song is "Bad Dog Blues". Unfortunately the lyrics don't have the weight of double entendre, and you end up thinking she really is singing about the Andrex puppy's evil twin.
There is no doubt that Lisa has a great voice, and by the three Kings (that's Freddy, Albert and BB) can she play! She's let down, however, by inconsistent production values. The CD sounds as if each one of its 11 tracks have been recorded and mixed at separate times without reference to a whole. No one element is consistent throughout the CD, with drums bright and clear on one track, but limp and boxy on the next; the guitar, growling and flexing its muscle most of the time, sounds muffled and woolly on the likes of "Rock n' Roll". Even the vocals don't escape this with rather heavy handed double tracking used in places and lush reverb drowning Lisa's voice elsewhere. The worst offender in production terms is Ms Lim's cover of "Fever" where the drums fight to keep a solid pace, whilst being pushed by the funky rhythm guitar which is always champing at the bit to rush the beat. Further compounding the problem on the track is that the bass keeps in with the drums (as it should be), but Lisa's vocal takes its timing from her own rhythm guitar.
If you take each track on its own they show great playing, sass and attitude, but as a whole it's more like a jigsaw picture made from pieces from different puzzles. Sorry Ms Lim, but as your last track says "Honesty I Insist".