Love Is Wicked

Brick and Lace isn't an '80s TV show about female cops, nor is it the new code for butch/femme. (Femme/slightly less femme, maybe.) This fresh duo is a pair of sisters from Jamaica who bring a reggae sensibility to dance music. It's a fun approach that is often delightful and, if nothing else, tends to surprise - no mean feat in pop music. The formula works best when it's weighted towards the Marley end of the spectrum. The opening track, "Buss a Shot," begins with a typical reggae rhythm, then adds on layers of Top 40 touches like an airy chorus, with a bit of rap to bridge the gap between dancehall and disco. The formula is perfected on the ridiculously catchy "Love is Wicked" which adds pipes and horns to its killer hooks. Unfortunately on quite a few tracks the sisters overdo the creative orchestrations, and the results sound overproduced. "Get That Clear," for instance, is a solid outing in the urban contemporary vein; but it's thuddingly typical - Brick and Lace's uniqueness gets lost under the samples and drum loops. Similarly, "Push It Up" and "Never Never" are enjoyably sleek and spare, earning obligatory props for the sisters' command of musical mercurialness, but I missed the warmth and soul that suffuses the other half of the disc. But then, frosty club diva music has never been my thing; I expect plenty of my gay brethren will adore the whole album.