Dark of Days

Bourbon Princess | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 12, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Accurate Records
• ASIN: B0007XT81W
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,508 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Ed Symkus, townonline.com

"...a mix between the punk sensibilities of Television and the arty dreariness of Nick Cave..."

Product Description

Bourbon Princess is a band of four exceptional musicians making beautiful, dark-edged, highly original music featuring the lyrical songwriting of singer/bassist Monique Ortiz. With the release of Bourbon Princess’ new Dark of Days and the band’s upcoming tours, bigger audiences are bound to fall under the spell of this group’s mesmerizing sound! The unique sound of Bourbon Princess is like new wave with a sophisticated, heady, soulful bite. Ortiz crafts the approach from the warm, flexible tones of her contralto voice and the deep sonorities of her versatile bass playing, along with the help of her talented co-conspirators: original Morphine drummer Jerome Deupree, Either/Orchestra saxophonist/leader Russ Gershon and guitarist/pianist Jim Moran. First full-length collaboration with Paul Q. Kolderie (producer/engineer for Radiohead, Hole, Morphine), who manned the console.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shot in the Darkness, April 24, 2005

By 

Tim Wyman "Timmy Wy" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark of Days (Audio CD)

I stumbled upon this band while ordering other cds and I am so glad I did! This LP gives me hope that there are still bands out there that actually write good songs and give a damn about creating a particular dynamic, rather than just following trends. Singer/bassist Monique Ortiz has such an expansive vocal range that one might think there was a man singing one song and a woman singing the next. The disc opens with a bluesy tune called "Still Asleep" with a raunchy vocal delivery that is eerily reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix, then blasts right into "Waiting Noon", a dark, but super-funky ramble that makes me think of Nick Cave (circa Birthday Party) or Siousxie & The Banshees (think "Peepshow"). As the cd progresses the songs only get more intense and cinematic. The title track is an epic that would be right at home in a soundtrack of a war film or documentary on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. "Cliche", a ballad that comes from a woman struggling to get by, gave me chills. Let me not get too hung-up on the mystique of the frontwoman, when there are a handful of guys backing her up that deliver some devine performances too: Jim Moran, who I have never heard of until finding Bourbon Princess, is a guitarist that cleary looks at the big picture. Not over or under playing, his fluid, yet deliberate sound (think Hendrix meets Fripp) seems to cradle Monique's basslines, and opens-up the entire sound, especially on "the Hat". Although I think this record could've done with less saxaphone, the talents of Russ Gershon cannot be denied. Especially on the Mardis-Gras-esque closing track, "so much time". Perhaps original Morphine drummer Jerome Deupree has found his calling. I loved what he did with Morphine, but feel like this is some of the best playing I've ever heard from him, and his tom-heavy style couldn't be more perfect with Monique's swooping, drony basslines, and cutting lyrics. We all have records produced or engineered by Paul Kolderie (Radiohead, Pixies, Morphine, Hole)and you better be damn sure to add this one to the collection!
I only hope I get to catch them on tour someday.
Fans of Nick cave, PJ Harvey, Morphine and Prentenders will LOVE this!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Audio noir, May 15, 2005

By 

twangmon (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark of Days (Audio CD)

Casting a sonic spell that's spooky, hypnotic, and often nightmarish, Bourbon Princess mixes droning bass, world-weary tenor saxophone, jazzy percussion, and washes of textural guitar into a startlingly original ensemble sound. Fronted by bassist and vocalist Monique Ortiz, and powered by Morphine's original drummer, Jerome Deupree -- whose tom-rich rhythms evoke vintage Velvet Underground -- the band specializes in mysterious, rumbling grooves. Saxist Russ Gershon wraps his lines around Ortiz's husky alto voice like an anguished lover, while guitarist Jim Moran artfully fills the cracks with subtle, liquid colors. Ortiz writes about the intoxicated, seamy side of life in such frank, unflinching detail that some listeners may miss the telepathic musical interplay that underpins her lyrics. Engineer Paul Q. Kolderie (Morphine, Hole, Radiohead, Warren Zevon) keeps the swirling sounds sharply focused. Fans of Tom Waits, Portishead, and Nick Cave will feel right at home.