Lion Fever - Lustre (Ep) (CD)

All Music Guide

The power trio Lion Fever conjures up a nasty, bluesy swagger on their EP Lustre. Unfortunately, they forgot to include much in the way of hooks or melodies to balance out the blustering power they bring to songs like "Slave" and "Everyone I Know is Getting Famous." The cover of Gun Club's "For the Love of Ivy" has enough impact to make it a standout track (although it lacks the thrilling tension and release of the original), and the rockabillyinfluenced guitar licks on "Watch Out For Spiders" suggest that the band can come up with memorable melodic elements as well as dynamic ones. But even though singer/guitarist Jennifer Pearl can use both of her instruments formidably, and her bandmates who hail from such respected and likeminded bands such as VSS and the Lost Kids are similarly talented, too much of Lustre finds them drowning each other out. More restraint and more melodies would take Lion Fever's sound to new levels.

- Heather Phares, All Music Guide