Electric Honey

Luscious Jackson

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 29, 1999)
• Original Release Date: June 29, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00000JCFE
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,477 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

On their 1996 album, Fever In Fever Out, cool New York hip-hop/funk-pop combo Luscious Jackson took a break from their dance-till-you-drop edict and addressed some serious relationship issues, recruiting producer Daniel Lanois to provide the appropriate murky, atmospheric vibe. Well, either that project purged the group of its sadness or the disc's less-than-spectacular sales prodded LJ to return to their more ebullient roots. Whatever the case, Electric Honey is a fluid, spirited release that expands upon the formula of 1994's Natural Ingredients. Jill Cunniff and Gabby Glaser's vocals have never sounded as sleek or sexy, and their playing has improved considerably. So have their songwriting chops, allowing hip-hop, funk, electronica, pop, and alternative rock sounds to coexist harmoniously within the same sonic framework. "Nervous Breakthrough" bumps and grinds to skankin' guitars, trumpets, and a throbbing electronic beat; "Alien Lover" pumps up the funk quotient and tosses in some otherworldly keyboards; and "Sexy Hypnotist" seduces the mind with a buoyant pop rhythm, engaging harmonies, and some compelling flute trills. And the Luscious girls earn extra points for recruiting the ultimate party girl, Deborah Harry, on "Fantastic Fabulous," whose title accurately sums up the entire record. --Jon Wiederhorn

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another awesome one by LJ, but... different..., May 18, 2002

By	R. A. Edington "Amazonaholic" (Boise, ID, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Markedly different from Natural Ingredients and Fever In Fever Out, this album has a much more polished, rock-and-roll feel to it. Maybe it has something to do with their losing their keyboardist, maybe it has something to do with hanging out with Deborah Harry, but this CD definitely has a bit of a throw back to the days of Blondie-type "I'm gonna rock clean and fast and if you don't like it, ... off" rock-and-roll.

The surprising aspect, having said that, is that "Electric Honey" is unmistakably LJ. The word "eclectic" still springs foremost to mind after listening to it. The wide range of sweet-and-gritty (but mostly sweet) vocals still make my hair stand on end. The great lyrics, hooks, grooves, and harmonies all combine to make music that couldn't be mistaken for any other band.

I read an interview with Jill Cunniff where she said that the title "Electric Honey" didn't really mean anything, they just kind of liked it. I humbly disagree -- after listening to this CD, the title "Electric Honey" is not just kind of nice -- it's almost as though it couldn't have been called anything else. It's Electric, it's Honey, it's classic LJ.

Now all we need is a reunion of the band...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Their best album,great for rest, relaxation, tranquilisation, September 27, 2001

By	M. Vasiljevic "Marko V." (Belgrade, Serbia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I loved first one, Natural Ingredients. The pure and fresh ideas and naive, simple songs sounded great. Then came FIFO, their second album, with gloomier sounds. The third one is great: it combines dance rhytms, pop-rock melodies, satyrical verses and is their richest album, considering production and diversity of songs, (sung by two singers) but still has sincerity of their first album. It helped me during some personal crisis so it's great for relaxation and tranquilisation, too :)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, fabulous, November 23, 2006

By	Kinbote (The Alamo, TX USA) - See all my reviews

1999's Electric Honey is the last effort (so far) of a super talented, under promoted band, and is their best. I don't know if the departure of keyboardist Vivian Trimble after the previous album was the beginning of the end, but if anything the musical quality is even better on this one! Trying to name standout songs is difficult because they are great all the way through. Also, even with its consistently sophisticated, sexy sound, it's truly right for "all ages." There's nothing you would be embarrassed playing for your mom or young child. In fact it's on high rotation now on my iPod as the favorite (anti-crying remedy) of my 1-month old daughter!

If you visit the MySpace pages of Jill Cunniff, Gabby Glaser, and Kate Schellenbach, it looks like these talented women are working on a Luscious Jackson revival. Apparently there's going to be new material in the next couple of years. I for one will be looking out for a repeat performance of this outstanding record!