If someone had said to me a few months ago that I'd be championing a solo effort by Jon Lawler, lead singer of the Fratellis, I'd most likely have laughed. Yet it appears the joke is on me as his new project, Codeine Velvet Club in which he pairs up with silky smooth songstress and by-day burlesque dancer Lou Hickey, is actually rather good.
With a proportion of music over the past year or so being dominated by 80s electronica and synth influences, it was time for someone to try something a bit different. However, I'm pretty sure nobody expected these influences to stem from 1920s swing music, for lead Fratelli to implement them, and for this to actually work. Mark Ronson may think he is a maestro with trumpets, but retro juggernauts Lawler and Hickey are here to show him how it's really done. An interfusion of classic rock and roll with big band instrumentals and sultry lyrics set the scene perfectly and you are easily transported back to a time before voice distorters and effects pedals were even thought of. The star of this old school show is undoubtedly Hickey though, with her lead vocals exquisitely tying up the musical package in an enticingly effortless bow.
Ironically, the one slight criticism I'd have of Lawler's solo effort is occasionally Lawler himself. Singing with Hickey their vocals amalgamate successfully enough, but on an individual basis, his discernible and accented vocal tones sometimes don't quite suit the style of music they are accompanying. Having said that, I think Codeine Velvet Club is a valiant effort for someone usually more closely associated with creating more animated and generally innocuous songs. Fratellis fans have given a mixed reaction to their idol's side project, but if anything they should be embracing it. Any good musician is open to experimentation and Lawler has certainly exhibited that here, presenting his usual listeners with a much more mature sound. Unfortunately, whilst the music is definitely refreshing in the current climate, I feel it is not going to be enough to start a trend. Fratelli followers can sleep safe in the knowledge that the wider ranging audience his other band draws will undoubtedly have him returning to the day job soon enough.
Codeine Velvet Club's debut album is out now on Island Records.
www.myspace.com/codeinevelvetclub
http://www.codeinevelvetclub.com/
I love them
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