Bruiser Queen is the second album by the American band Cake Like, released in 1997.[2][3] The band promoted the album with a UK tour.[4]
| Bruiser Queen | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, post-punk | |||
| Label | Vapor[1] | |||
| Producer | Craig Wedren, Carl Glanville | |||
| Cake Like chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editThe album was produced by Craig Wedren and Carl Glanville.[5][6] Ric Ocasek had produced "Mr. Fireman", for an earlier EP, and recommended the band to Neil Young, who signed them to his Vapor Records imprint.[3] Kerri Kenney wrote most of the album's lyrics.[7]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Robert Christgau |  [9] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [10] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [5] |
| Stereo Review | [11] |
| The Tampa Tribune | [12] |
MTV wrote that "Kenney tries to stretch her low, atonally growly voice to perform Sonic Youth's Gordon-like tricks but lacks the attitude and passion behind the vocal."[13] The Washington Post called the album "fairly slick in its minimalist way," writing that "although its style is spare and jittery, Cake Like can be glib, especially when celebrating sex with the traditional heat-seeking of 'Latin Lover' and 'Mr. Fireman'."[6] The Rocket dismissed the album as "dull and colorless post-punk."[14]
The New York Times opined that "with a sound that fits right in with the cool downtown experimental rock scene, and lyrics that blend equal parts unrestrained sarcasm and unbridled emotion, Cake Like proves that in the grown-up world, popular girls can take chances, too."[15] Scripps Howard wrote: "Rising above their sparse, simplistic arrangements—which tend to be of the monochromatic punk/folk variety—[Nina] Hellman and Kenney plow through their weirdly hostile songs like neo-beatniks at a poetry slam."[16] The Evening Standard called Bruiser Queen "upbeat songs about the lonely and the faithless."[4]
AllMusic thought that Cake Like "does manage a few solid tunes, particularly the Teenage Fanclub-style playfulness of 'Lorraine's Car' and the punky 'Pretty New', but overall Bruiser Queen is a botch."[8]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The New Girl" | 2:17 |
| 2. | "Wendy" | 2:19 |
| 3. | "Mr. Fireman" | 3:10 |
| 4. | "Groovy" | 2:01 |
| 5. | "Latin Lover" | 2:39 |
| 6. | "Pretty New" | 3:40 |
| 7. | "Lorraine's Car" | 3:26 |
| 8. | "Franchise" | 2:51 |
| 9. | "Cancer" | 3:19 |
| 10. | "The American Woman" | 2:02 |
| 11. | "Truck Stop Hussy" | 3:24 |
| 12. | "Destroyed" | 2:28 |
Personnel
edit- Nina Hellman – guitar, vocals
- Kerri Kenney – bass, vocals
- Jody Seifert – drums
References
edit- ^ "The Beat". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 17, 1997 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Cake Like | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Blush, Steven (October 4, 2016). New York Rock: From the Rise of The Velvet Underground to the Fall of CBGB. Macmillan – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Lusher, Tim (23 Jul 1997). "Cake Like". Evening Standard. p. 47.
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 189.
- ^ a b "Cake Like: 'Bruiser Queen' / Vapor". The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ "CNN - Female trio Cake Like touches music stardom - December 3, 1997". www.cnn.com.
- ^ a b "Bruiser Queen - Cake Like | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Cake Like". www.robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. p. 130.
- ^ Milano, Brett (Sep 1997). "Popular Music". Stereo Review. Vol. 62, no. 9. p. 94.
- ^ Ross, Curtis (July 4, 1997). "Cake Like, Bruiser Queen (Vapor)". Friday Extra!. The Tampa Tribune. p. 17.
- ^ "Album Review: Cake Like's Bruiser Queen". MTV News. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021.
- ^ "Cake Like Bruiser Queen". The Rocket. 23 Jul 1997. p. 33.
- ^ "Pop and Jazz Guide". The New York Times. December 19, 1997.
- ^ Campbell, Chuck (June 19, 1997). "Recordings". Times Union. Scripps Howard. p. P27.