MOLLY LEWIS-ON THE LIPS.

dereksmusicblog ♦ February 27, 2024 ♦ 1 Comment

Molly Lewis-On The Lips.

Label: Jagjaguwar.

Format: CD.

In November 2017, Sydney-born singer and musician Molly Lewis was one of the artists who featured on Kirin J Callinan’s single ‘Big Enough.’ A lot has happened since then.

By 2021, she had signed to US-based label Jagjaguwar, and released her much-anticipated debut EP, ‘The Forgotten Edge.’ Its exotica stylings showcased a truly talented artist with a big future ahead of her.

Then in 2022, Lewis returned with her sophomore EP ‘Mirage.’ It was a bewitching mixture exotica, tropicalia, easy listening and even Balearic music. Haunting, atmospheric, dreamy and beautiful it was music from another era, a reminder of what music once sounded like. Part of the success of ‘Mirage’ was Lewis’ trademark whistle. 

This is something Lewis has been doing since she was a teenager. She might not have learnt to whistle if she hadn’t seen the 2005 documentary Pucker Up, about International Whistling Competition. Seven years later, in 2012, she entered the competition. Now whistling is part of her own unique sound. That was in the future.

Lewis moved to Berlin, Germany, in her early twenties. However, she retuned home to compete in the 2015 International Whistling Competition and picked up the first prize. Next stop for Lewis was LA.

She moved to LA to work in the film industry. However, one evening Lewis took to the stage at an open mic night at the Kibitz Room, a tiny late-night bar inside the historic LA deli, Canter’s. Little did she know that this was the start of a new chapter in her career.

Following her she was singing at art happenings across LA. Then she came to the attention of independent record label Jagjaguwar, who signed Lewis.

She released two EPs, her 2021 debut ‘The Forgotten Edge,’ then ‘Mirage’ in 2022. However, that’s just part of the Molly Lewis story.

She’s worked with some of the biggest names in music. This includes none other than legendary folk rocker Jackson Browne, and alongside Mark Ronson on the Barbie soundtrack. Lewis has also worked with Dr Dre, Karen O, actor John C Reilly, Mac De Marco and with fashion houses Chanel, Gucci and Hermes. 

However, music was heard by a wider audience after a duet at a Café Molly evening at LA’s Zebulon. She sang Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s classic ‘The Look of Love’ with her friend Weyes Blood. She then supported the singer on a US tour. This was the break that she had been waiting for. Suddenly, a new audience heard her music and unique sound. She remembers: “I forget sometimes that what I do has that factor of surprise and uniqueness – it is something that most people have never seen before.” That’s very true.

Lewis unique and inimitable sound features on her highly-anticipated debut album ‘On The Lips,’ which was recently released on the Jagjaguwar label. It finds the Sydney-born and LA-based singer heading in a different direction.

‘On The Lips’ in an invitation from Lewis to Café Molly. It’s a lounge from another era. The busboys park cars as LA come out to play. Inside, the lights are dimmed, bartenders serve ice cold martinis and Scotch on the rocks. Seated in the velvet banquettes are Hollywood starlets, singers on their way up, some on their way down. There’s talent scouts, the dream makers and dream breakers of the film industry. Then there’s the hangers on, wannabes and the men that nobody cross. All walks of life are in Café Molly to hear the LA’s latest and newest star who has recently released her debut album, ‘On The Lips.’

The album was recorded at Recorded at Diamond West Studios in Pasadena, California. Lewis took charge of vocals, played guitar and added her inimitable, trademark whistle. She was joined by drummer Eric Hagstrom who also played clave; drummer and flautist Joe Harrison and organist Thomas Brenneck who produced the album. It was engineered and Mixed by Simón Guzmán. Then ‘On The Lips’ was mastered by JJ Golden at Golden Mastering.

The results was a tantalising taste of the multitalented Molly Lewis. Although she’s known by many for her whistling, she’s also a guitarist and vocalist who breathes life and meaning into songs. She’s been doing this at her Café Molly nights, and now, on her much-anticipated debut album ‘On The Lips.’

It’s an album where the music transports the listener back to another era, that of the classic Hollywood jazz clubs. It’s easy to imagine Lewis taking to the stage and the audience being spellbound. Cocktail jazz, easy listening and the influence of Italian cinema soundtracks. Lewis and producer Brenneck share a love of Italian soundtrack composers Alessandro Alessandroni and Piero Piccioni. There’s also elements of Bossa nova and sixties pop on ‘On The Lips.’ It’s mood music that’s usually heard in LA but wouldn’t sound out of place on the runways at fashion shows in London and Paris and in dancehalls in Mexico City.

‘On The Lips’ opens with the atmospheric and cinematic title track. The track wouldn’t sound out of place on a Wim Wenders or David Lynch film. It features a soliloquy and Lewis’ trademark whistle. So does the beautiful but melancholy ‘Lounge Lizard.’ It’s music from another era, and brings back memories of LA jazz clubs from the fifties.

Then Sal Samano and Alex Garcia of Chicano soul group Thee Sacred Souls feature on the wistful sounding ‘Crushed Velvet.’

Another cinematic sounding track is ‘Slinky.’ It’s jazzy mood music, an instrumental that could be used as a scene setter in a movie. Cinematic also describes ‘Moon Tan’ is a wistful and reflective sounding track. Lewis’ trademark whistle is joined by piano, bass, a standup bass and Roger Joseph Manning Jr. plays organ. They play leading roles in the sound and success of a track that conjures up late night and lost love in LA.  

It’s all change on ‘Silhouette.’ It features experimental jazz pianist Marco Benevento and El Michels Affair’s Leon Michels.  both crop up on the effervescent and ebullient sounding ‘Silhouette’.

There’ three of covers on ‘On The Lips.’ This includes Jeanette’s upbeat and breezy ‘Porqué Te Vas’, which Lewis first heard on the soundtrack of Carlos Saura’s critically acclaimed 1976 drama Cría Cuervos. Lewis with the help of her band pays homage to one of her favourite tracks, and one she’s always wanted to cover.

‘Cocosette’ is a a haunting and wistful track that encourages reflection. It paints pictures in the mind’s eye. Again it’s music from a bygone age, when music and indeed life was very different.

Lewis celebrates the poet Kenneth ‘Sonny’ Donato, who was a former friend and drinking companion of Charles Bukowski, on swooning and sultry cover of ‘Sonny’.  She says: “he’s a total LA character with a great voice and great style, as well as a champion of me and my music. The pair met when he was tending bar at Hollywood’s iconic Musso and Frank. “He would MC my Café Molly shows and introduce the night with a poem about LA.” Her cover of ‘Sonny’ is a fitting homage to him.

‘On The Lips’ closes with a haunting cover of Dave Berry’s pop classic ‘The Crying Game.’ It showcases Lewis’ versatility and is a beautiful way to close the album.

After releasing two EP is 2021 and 2022, Molly Lewis has released her highly anticipated debut album. The music on ‘On The Lips’ is from a different era, music that conjures up memories the classic Hollywood jazz clubs. Lewis would’ve had audiences spellbound with her bewitching fusion of cocktail jazz and easy listening. There’s elements of Bossa nova, sixties pop and the influence of Italian cinema soundtracks. Some of the tracks are cinematic, atmospheric, haunting, wistful and encourage reflection. Others are beautiful and dreamy.  Essentially ‘On The Lips’ is mood music that although usually it’s heard in LA wouldn’t sound out of place on the runways at fashion shows in London and Paris and in dancehalls in Mexico City. 

‘On The Lips’ is also an album that anyone who loves good music will enjoy and must buy, and is the perfect introduction to the truly talented Molly Lewis who has a big future in front of her. 

Molly Lewis-On The Lips.