‘LIPSTICK & COCAINE’ E.P. – MAMA KAZ. Reviewed by Robert Craven.

Mama Kaz ‘Lipstick & Cocaine’ E.P.

Review by Robert Craven.

Belfast’s Mama Kaz is a singer in the tradition of Bessie Smith, Janis Joplin and Sandy Denny, but like them has the nous not to overdo it. Her ‘band’ too sound like they have lived on the road for a decade or more taking their cue from her voice.  But of course on this recording it’s ‘just’ Kaz, producer/musician Jed McConkey and singer/songwriter Hetty Lane on backing vocals.  Jed is also an acomplished solo artist, songwriter and member of Cozmic Box.

I was honoured to be asked to review Mama’s 3 track ep ‘Lipstick & Cocaine’
and it doesn’t disappoint.

Track #1 Lipstick & Cocaine is a piece that evokes wide open plains and isolation opening on a simple riff; it’s a fine piece of song writing and the band as a unit are cohesive and smooth, taking their cue from Mama’s measured vocals, they hit pay dirt on the line ‘come dance with me…’ and build it without ever over-doing it.

Track#2 Don’t You Know is a haunting piece with Mama Kaz, a slow burning love song, where she shows considerable vocal nous & power to great effect, holding back the fire power until it’s required& then delivered in tight bursts. Again the band again is impressive, never abandoning feel in favour of a quick effect.

Track #3 Surviving shows Mama’s voice at its best – raw, unforgiving, with a touch of Scorpions’ Klaus Meine for good measure and again she shows the necessary understanding not to over-do this ballad or make it in anyway mawkish. Her voice conveys the pain but rich with ‘I’ll-beat –you- at- your- own- game’ delivery.

All three tracks should get considerable airplay & no doubt the industrious
Mama Kaz & her gigging band will work this ep into the ground & I don’t
have any doubt, the leg-work will pay off.

We can look forward to a release with the full Mama Kaz Band in the Autumn,
worth waiting for I’ll wager.

Robert Craven.

Check out Mama here on MT at

http://musicianstogether.com/video/M6XGHXB3Y32U/Lipstick-and-Cocaine-Demo-EP-Promo-Video

Jed McConkey on MT with Cozmic Box http://musicianstogether.com/video/17BS5O87DBU5/Winter-Haze

Hetty Lane on MT at http://musicianstogether.com/video/D52YU7O51NGY/Dude

Robert Craven lives in Dublin, Ireland. Robert is an author & his first novel GET LENIN was published in June 2011. Before that he worked for a number of years in Graphic design & between 1988-97 played bass with a number of Dublin bands including the International Blues Band, Dig Dis, Grief & Blind Gun Dog, he also worked as a session musician and toured Ireland & Holland. ‘Get LENIN’ is the first of a planned series, watch this space!

Tags: CD review, Mama Kaz, New music, Robert Craven

Category: CD Reviews