Juliette And The Licks - 'Four On The Floor' (Hassle) Released 28/05/07

Every school has them. That kid who is insanely good at everything they do, talented, popular, effortlessly cool and, most upsettingly, so eminently likeable that everyone around them is secretly consumed with green eyed rage that they don’t even have the consolation of hating their talented little guts. Juliette Lewis is undoubtedly the showbiz equivalent: Oscar nominated actress (for ‘Cape Fear’), ex-girlfriend of Brad Pitt and now achingly hip rock goddess. This re-release of her second album will allow a greater proportion of the world the opportunity to marvel/vomit at her brilliance.

Formed in 2003, Juliette and the Licks discovered their musical mojo by heading straight out on the road supporting acts like Courtney Love, Turbonegro and Social Division. The fruit of their labour was their tub-thumping self-produced debut ‘You’re Speaking My Language’. After a fluid fledgling line-up, the modern day Licks have retained guitarists Todd Morse and Kemble Walters and picked up some drummer by the name of Dave Grohl. Nah, we hadn’t heard of him either.

So with all the pieces in place, what of the album? Raw yet slick, intense yet jubilant – ‘Four on the Floor’ is a record bursting with sonic paradoxes. This is cock-rock with boobies – aggressive, abrasive and marvellously loud, but all finished with a veneer of pure sex and effortless zany style. In many respects the Licks resemble a Blondie for the 21st century: ‘Death of a Whore’ is unmistakably Blondie-esque in sound, albeit featuring more, ahem, robust language than that of Ms Harry. Listen up, if you wanna be a rock-chick you need to know the bad words.

Losing none of the electricity of their dervish-like live shows, this time, the Licks have managed to tame the beast, making the album tighter than Lewis’s infamous on-stage catsuits. In fact it’s finger lickin’ good, with opener ‘Smash and Grab’, ‘Hot Kiss’ and single ‘Purgatory Blues’ all chock-full of ballsy rock grooves. Lewis may be the eponymous heroine, but this is still very much an ensemble piece, with the presence of Grohl seeming to inject more confidence into the band. There’re plenty of opportunities for the Foos man to indulge in a touch of showboating: ‘Get Up’ has an extended drum solo that suggests Grohl is more than happy to be back behind the kit.

Primal, exhilarating and infectious, ‘Four On The Floor’ is blistering rock ‘n’ roll genius, full of catchy hooks, whizzing drums and raw vocals all packaged into pint-sized dynamos, as few tracks break the 3 minute barrier. Wham bam thank you ma’am!