ALBUM SPOTLIGHT
JOHN SOEDER
* 01/11/99
The Plain Dealer Cleveland, OH
(Copyright (c) The Plain Dealer 1999)
* Artist: Lone Justice
Title: "This World Is Not My Home"
Label: Geffen
* Comments: If there were any justice, Lone Justice would have
been
huge. Long before today's bumper crop of alt-country acts such as
Wilco and Son Volt came along, this critically slobbered-over but
commercially inconsequential band from Los Angeles worked the middle
ground between country and post-punk rock 'n' roll, to wonderful
effect.
"This World Is Not My Home" provides a long-overdue overview, but
it hardly qualifies as a greatest-hits package. Feisty singer-
guitarist Maria McKee and her musical sidekicks notched only a couple
of minor hits during their short time together. "Shelter," the
sublime title track of the group's 1986 album, should ring a bell.
You might also remember the rollicking "I Found Love" and "Ways to Be
Wicked," a somebody-done-somebody-wrong song co-written by Tom Petty.
Well worth a listen are some of the more obscure tunes and
previously unreleased material here, including "Rattlesnake Mama" and
"Drugstore Cowboy," a twangy outtake from a 1983 demo. You can skip
the live cover of the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane," which turns
into a shouting match between McKee and breathy guest star Bono of
U2. Not to be missed, though, is "Go Away Little Boy," penned by Bob
Dylan and originally released as a B-side in the United Kingdom.
Dylan sits in on the song, as does Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood.
* Thanks for the memories, Lone Justice. Now, would a reunion tour
be asking too much?
