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KP says: Wendy James : "Queen High Straight (deluxe)"   Rating: Rating: 5/6   
Updated: 2020-05-30 02:54:29    Type:  cd/vinyl review     English  View Comment Details   
This new 2020 Wendy James (of Transvision Vamp fame) album had been on it's way for a very long time. A crowdfunding solution crashed on the way. Crowdfunding isn't what it used to be. Wendy picked up the pieces and restarted from her own website. The project was suddenly still on course and it succeeded.

The great news is that the Deluxe version is available on both 2LP and CD and Wendy signed all the copies for those who pre-ordered. Yes, the 2LP sounds really great, mastered with love for vinyl. It comes without a digital download, so consider that.

Wendy's previous album, "The Price of the Ticket" [2016] is not a big favorite of mine. It had 50% great tracks and 50% fillers. It was a drop from the album before it, "I Came Here To Blow Minds" [2010], which I still consider an absolute masterpiece in Wendy history with songs that just grow on you forever and ever.

Now back to 2020, this new album has 20 songs. Is it maybe 10 songs too many or is it not? I have listened to it many times now, and I love the flow and consistency of it. Most of the songs are really great, but I find there is a certain type of Wendy "default song template" that she sometimes falls into, and I've decided to filter those songs out from my own favorite playlist.

Songs that are not on my list are not bad, it only means that the songs on my list are better in my opinion. The songs are anything from trademark Wendy "Queen High Straight" - through jazzy "I'll Be Here When The Morning Comes" - and all the way to punk rockin' "The Impression Of Normalcy".

The album is so varied that it is surprising it even feels like an album. It does however. 20 songs are a lot to swallow and there's plenty to pick from, with very few clear fillers along. It is a wonderful basket of great things. Look and you shall find.

"The Impression Of Normalcy" : if you like punk-rock, this is your song.

"Perilous Beauty" : is hard-core Wendy too.

"Marlene Et Fleur" : is so damn catchy that it is the right choice for a single. It is impossible not to love it. It's already a classic in Wendy history.

"Stomp Down, Snuck Up" : has some seriously cool keys at the beginning and a mesmerizing guitar along the way. A clear favorite of mine.

Here is a list of my favorite songs on the album:
  • Queen High Straight
  • Perilous Beauty
  • Stomp Down, Snuck Up
  • Marlene Et Fleur
  • A Heart Breaking Liar's Promise
  • The Impression Of Normalcy
  • I'll Be Here When The Morning Comes
  • Cancel It… I'll See Him On Monday

"Marlene Et Fleur:"


"The Impression Of Normalcy"

 
Wendy James : ´Queen High Straight (deluxe)´ (cd/vinyl review)
Wendy James : ´Queen High Straight (deluxe)´ (cd/vinyl review)
Wendy James : ´Queen High Straight (deluxe)´ (cd/vinyl review)
 
Cd/vinyl reviews:
Wendy James - I Came Here To Blow Minds  ♦  Racine - 2
 
Concert reviews:
Wendy James @ Rough Trade East / Old Blue Last - London, Live, 2016-02-15  ♦  Racine (Wendy James) - Stengade 30 - Copenhagen - 2007-04-27 - Live
 
Music comments:
30 albums I would take with me to a galaxy far far way  ♦  Bye baj 2018, Hej Haj 2019  ♦  New records added to my collection - 2019  ♦  KP's Top 3 of über cool shiznit in year 2019  ♦  New records added to my collection - 2020  ♦  Top 1000 - Albums - Year 2020
 
Album reviews:
Transvision Vamp Albums