Olivia Jean
formerly led the Nashville-based retro rockers
Black Belles
, but perhaps the best way to view her is as a
Jack White
protegee, somebody that has been taken under
Third Man
's wing and encouraged to flourish. She showed up on several
White
-produced projects and her 2014 debut, Bathtub Love Killings, is produced by the man himself. More than that,
Bathtub Love Killings
feels a bit like an answer record to
's 2014 album
Lazaretto
, a brightly colored, eccentric romp through the back alleys of Americana. Many of
's tricks are here, whether it's thick sheets of fuzz, stuttering blues rhythms, a bit of stylish '60s swing tempered by hints of '80s new wave, or country ballads balanced by garage rock squall. The songs are good and
has a coquettish wink to her delivery that's beguiling, but the star is
's multi-faceted production. Because he's not responsible for the songs, he's allowed himself to get loose and indulge in some fleet-footed trickery that makes
more fun than his own projects that it so strongly resembles. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine