Luscious Jackson

A vision of hip lower-Manhattan ladies of the '90s, Luscious Jackson kept it short and very sweet on its delightful (though now out-of-print) seven-song debut EP, In Search of Manny. Making pale-skinned, live-instrument hip-hop on a label run by friends the Beastie Boys, LJ justifiably earned its reputation as "Beastie girls" -- particularly with sassy/silly feminist rhymes like "No family jewels between my legs/My wealth is my brain, my jewels my eggs." But Manny also owes a serious debt to the mostly female minimalist funk of early-'80s New Yorkers ESG -- a group obscure enough to allow this record to sound like something completely fresh and new circa 1992. Warm, lo-fi production and irresistible melodies make even the clunky, unconvincing raps of Jill Cunniff and Gabby Glaser sound brilliantly audacious. By the EP's final two cuts, the duo is bolstered with a live drummer (onetime Beastie Boy Kate Schellenbach) and keyboardist Vivian Trimble, pointing to the full-band sound of later releases.

With its first full-length, Natural Ingredients, LJ begins to develop into something more powerful and sophisticated. The opener, "City Song," adds bleating sax to the group's urban groove, while "Strongman" features a funky flute line. "Here" embraces the club funk/disco of Deee-Lite, while the exotic "Pele Merengue" and "Surprise" make an ambitious move toward a more edgy, almost post-punk/dub grind. The urban-slacker humor has fallen off, but the attitude-heavy feminism -- men that drag them down, men who can handle strong women -- remains at the forefront. Without attempting to recapture the vibe that made Manny so unique, Natural Ingredients offers ample evidence of the group's growth potential. Unfortunately, Fever In Fever Out doesn't build on the group's promise, but sounds tired and attitude-free. The single "Naked Eye" kicks the record off with a familiar slice of catchy and cool, and other tracks early on are similarly engaging -- the woozy, noirish "Mood Swing," the sexy funk of "Under Your Skin." But mostly -- particularly through its second half -- Fever In relies too heavily on slower tempos, spacey production, and seemingly half-written, largely forgettable melodies.

Following Trimble's departure, a pared-down threesome released Electric Honey, which finds LJ's vitality restored. "Nervous Breakthrough," with its handclaps and thumping bass, kicks off with an unmistakable party vibe, while "Ladyfingers" follows with the group's most sophisticated pop sound yet. While dark and dirty production makes "Gypsy" sound like a Manny outtake, that debut's sass and fun returns with the guitar-and-strings funk of "Space Diva." What's more, songs like "Devotion," with its Veruca Salt-style heavy-rock riffing and female harmonies, and "Country's A Callin'," with its bluesy guitar line and harmonica (and guest vocals from Emmylou Harris), suggest LJ is back on track and continuing to grow. Unfortunately, with the group disbanding after Electric Honey, the record became only a valiant swan song. (RONI SARIG)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide