Customer Reviews

Dark of Days

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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!

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.