Published on Jun 1, 2001
Of all the bands in the world that could elicit a tribute album,
one might wonder at first why The Cult would be in line for such an
honor now. After all, they had only a brief period in America when
they were close to the level of superstar, thanks to their
Sonic Temple album. It’s been a while since we heard from
Ian Astbury and crew. And anyway, how many of their songs are
recognizable in the first place?
One listen to
Fire Woman: A Tribute To The Cult answers that last
question; you may be surprised to hear how many songs you
recognize, even if only at a quick glance. While the collective of
artists on this disc gravitate towards a harder rock vein (though
neither this disc nor The Cult were hard rock per se), it quickly
proves itself to be en enjoyable way to pass an hour – and that’s
after you get through drooling at the cheesecake shot of porn star
Kendra Jade on the cover.
It helps if you have a working knowledge of The Cult’s
discography when you go into
Fire Woman, but it’s not a must in order to enjoy these
tracks. In fact, the artists who lovingly cover these songs mostly
turn them into their own babies, nurturing them throughout the
creative process. Listen to how Jake E. Lee and Tattoo Frank take a
song like “American Horse” (off of
Sonic Temple) and turn it into something that is both
special and unique. Listen to how Gilby Clarke injects life into
“Wild Flower” and makes you want to go back and hear the original.
Listen to how Jason McMaster captures the essence of “King Contrary
Man”.
Several tracks on
Fire Woman leap out as being exceptional. Listen to Enuff
Z’Nuff’s cover of “She Sells Sanctuary,” and wonder just how these
guys got this one nailed down so close to the bone. Donnie Vie
might not have the same kind of edge to his vocals as Astbury does,
but he convincingly delivers the goods. Likewise, Richard Kendrick
takes “Edie (Ciao Baby)”, a song which presented its own unique
challenges to whoever would choose to cover it, and kicks the doors
down with his rendition – all without utilizing a string
section.
This isn’t to say that everything on
Fire Woman is stellar. One has to admire Jizzy Pearl’s
decision to cover “Fire Woman” – arguably the best-known track from
The Cult – and realize that nothing he would do could live up to
the original’s power. But this track falls a bit flat on its own.
Part of it may be Pearl’s vocal style – but in actuality, the
problem is with the musical delivery courtesy of American Dog, who
just don’t capture the rhythmic snap in the guitars that this track
requires. What makes this more surprising is that American Dog
absolutely nails “King Contrary Man” backing Jason McMaster. And
the industrial version of “The Witch,” featuring Levi Levi and
Sinderella Pussie of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, never gets
off the ground.
Still, the collective of artists who make up
Fire Woman: A Tribute To The Cult more often than not knows
what it takes to make these songs special, and they’re able to make
the translation for the listener. Chances are this disc will make
you want to dig through your collection and dust off whatever
albums from The Cult that you own – in which case,
Fire Woman has done its job admirably well.