Voodoo-U [Import]

"Voodoo" takes the lords in a different direction than "Lust", fusing dynamic club rhythms to the grit of industrial rock to form a deliciously bitter hybrid. While the tone of "Lust" was playful and light, "Voodoo" delves into a much darker form of humor and a more nihilistic view of sexuality. To be sure, the lyrics are just as sexually-charged, if not more, but when taken with the tone of the album, the Lords' shadowy collective id is much more apparent.

Several classic Lords tracks can be found here, including the undeniably driving "Crablouse" (both in its original form and in an interesting if not entirely superior remix), the creepily seductive "Out Comes The Evil", and the aggressively raunchy "She And Mrs. Jones." "Mister Machoman" and "Young Boys" give Jade 4 U (whose vocals are superb throughout) the chance to play dominatrix-as-berserker, and she does it so well that you can't help but want to give in to her, no matter what. Jade even tones it down for the sensual, alluring bonus track "The Real Thing", purring like the hottest 60's sex-kitten that never was.

It's when the Lords diverge from their erotic focus that the tracks' quality becomes tenuous. Several tracks on "Voodoo" are an attempt by the Lords to be serious, to talk about darker issues. Sometimes, like the hilarious ode to an irreedemable stoner "Marijuana In Your Brain" and the wrenchingly emotional tale of abuse "Special Moments", these work to a great degree. Other times, like the heavy-handed anti-drug "Blowing Up Your Mind" and the song attacking the pimp "Dirty Willy", the songs come off as preachy, with simplistic lyrics that reduce the impact that the song might have had. An unrelated misstep comes in the form of "Do What You Wanna Do", a well-intentioned but ultimately mediocre song.

Regardless of these few instances, this is a solid album, and a must for any fan of the Lords. While not wildly divergent in its style, the tracks are all wonderfully arranged and delivered: even when they don't connect well with the listener, you have to admire the effort put into them. Of special note in this regard is the bonus track "Young Boys Go To Studio 54", re-imagining the grunge of "Young Boys" into a disco number so masterfully crafted in retro style that you'd swear it's the Village People-Donna Summer duet that was never released.

All in all, a fantastic album with only a few flaws that deserves to be in any techno enthusiats' collection. 4 out of 5.