Curvy Baby

Album Review

Brimming with a mix of rock and dance, All The Queen's Men could easily fall into an ill-conceived category. But with operatic vocals that have enough sex appeal at times, the opening track, "More," has all the qualities of a better-than-average tune. The tempo is high energy and the guitars are left deep in the mix. A later remix is quite better, mainly because of the drums being "more" prominent. "Alive" doesn't seem to do much, mainly because the overall tone is far too mellow far too early into the record. Lead singer Christine Zufferey is often the focal point, resulting in some indifferent results. "No One Else" possesses a space-oriented drum 'n' bass groove while Zufferey resembles Jewel. Thankfully, "On And On" has a joyful little arrangement that sounds inviting as the song is a bit loose in places. The band tends to play it rather safe far too often though, particularly on "Paper Panties," a song that misses the mark despite a potentially good structure and some fine guitar work. Fans of Peaches would appreciate the effort. "If We Let Go" is perhaps the first true highlight, a rambling gallop where Zufferey sings in the vein of Gwen Stefani and Chrissie Hynde. The record is also notable for an ambitious attempt at the reworking of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song." Here All The Queen's Men break the song down into a slight, operatic, Sarah Brightman effort prior to moving back to the heart of the track. There's not enough oomph to separate it much from the original, making it a passable cover tune. "You Make My Life" is a slower, jazz-oriented tune that works well from the opening notes. A slight resemblance to the arrangement in Nine Inch Nails "Pig," the track veers into a rather nice electric guitar and vocal duet. "Pig In The City" is another solid song bringing up the homestretch, sounding as if the band has a sense of urgency and purpose. As for the remixes, very few, if any, add anything to the original songs. "Alive (DIP Remix)" is perhaps the best of the 11 although the funky drum 'n' bass of "No One Else (DJule Remix)" is also strong.