The Lounge Kittens – “Sequins & C-Bombs” [Album Review]

The Lounge Kittens are three sassy lasses from Southampton, England who formed in 2012, and was the creation of two exceptionally talented singers, Jenny Deacon and Timia Gwendoline. Jenny and Timia were then joined by Zan Lawther to complete their trio. Thus, The Lounge Kittens were born. To describe this group I am shamelessly steeling a direct quote from the band’s label:

“Imagine if Richard Cheese seduced all three of the Andrew’s Sisters…and each had a little Lounge Baby. THE LOUNGE KITTENS would be the scandalous loin-product of that sordid affair.”

Have I got your attention now? You must be intrigued! With little more then a piano and their exceptional vocal skills, these ladies cover multiple genres from rock, hip-hop, pop, metal, soul, well, you get the idea, the list is endless.

This album’s opening track is grils’ twist on Alice Copper’s “Poison” and sets the mood for what can be expected from some of the tunes covered on this album. It is a delightful, beautifully-sung accapello ballad that will make you look at Alice Copper in a completely different way. Up next the Kittens demonstrate their ability to tackle metal with a cover of System of a Down’s “Bounce”. This time they up the tempo and it is a complete contrast to the seriousness of “Poison”. It is a fun listen and demonstrates the Kittens’ skills to make their audience laugh.

For track three and four the Kittens turn their attention to hip-hop by covering Usher’s “Yeah” and the classic House of Pain anthem, “Jump Around”. With the latter, the Kittens outdo themselves with quite possibly the recording’s most enjoyable and diverse song. Returning to the more serious side, their take on “Love is Only A Feeling” by The Darkness creates an emotional rollercoaster of a song. The same goes for the pure tearjerker of a cover, “Africa” by Toto. This track is as close to perfection as you can get making it the most repeated song for me.

Clearly not content with just covering individual songs, the Kittens then deliver an epic mash up of multiple Prodigy tunes with “Smack my Firestarter to Outer Space”. A medley of different styles, utilizing guitar, bass and drums creating an overcharged, ingenious rock song that should earn them a standing ovation from Keith Flint and Liam Howlett themselves. A similar style works for their mix of Rammstein songs contained within “Rammers” (minus the guitar, bass and drums), of course all sung in German as you’d expect.

Along with further covers such as the Offspring’s “Want you Bad”, Marilyn Manson’s “Beautiful People”, Metallica’s “Sad but True” and Drowning Pool’s “Bodies”, to name a few, Sequins & C-Bombs is a spectacular debut from a group with a bright future given the endless library of songs at their disposal.

In conclusion, I will confess it is difficult to put into words why The Lounge Kittens are so enjoyable, but take my word for it, give them a chance and, like me, you’ll be hooked.

Sequins & C-Bombs Track Listing

01. Poison
02. Bounce
03. Yeah
04. Jump Around
05. Love is Only a Feeling
06. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheep
07. Africa
08. Smack my Firestarter to Outer Space
09. Bodies
10. Want you Bad
11. Changes
12. Sad but True
13. Rammers
14. The Cave
15. The Beautiful People

Run Time: 49:34
Release Date: September 16, 2016

Check out the track “Bounce” here