Album review: FEMME FATALE – Femme Fatale (2022 remaster)

Rock Candy Records [Release date: 07.10.22]

Femme Fatale’s self titled 1988 album was co produced by Rick Neigher and David Cole, who together wrote the opening track and single release, ‘Waiting For The Big One’, the band’s only Billboard Top 200 entry.

Cole and Neigher went on to produce, among many others, Richard Marx, Alias, and Vixen … more on that in a moment.

To an extent, this album shared the same risque song titles approach as Danger Danger’s Screw It, (recently reviewed). ‘Waiting For The Big One’ and ‘My Baby’s Gun’ leave little to the imagination. What it didn’t share was that band’s ability to write a series of inviting musical hooks, delivered with verve and zest.

That said, several songs broke through the manufactured, conveyer belt eighties poprock sound that was de rigeur at the time.

Due largely to the fact that great emphasis is placed on Lorraine Lewis’s raspy, sensual vocals, ‘Falling In And Out Of Love’, ‘Rebel’ and ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top If You Wanna Rock’n'Roll’ standout. The latter, an AC/DC cover, is the best by a wide margin of the four bonus tracks that come with this remaster.

The album sold close to a quarter of a million. But back then, in the labels’ eyes, that was failure and the band was dropped.

Interestingly, Cole and Neigher went on to write and produce for Vixen. More recently (2019), Femme Fatale’s singer, Lorraine Lewis, replaced Vixen’s singer, Janet Gardner, who had left to pursue a solo career. Small world. **1/2

Review by Brian McGowan

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)