A creature of a New York scene that feels as ancient in rock’n’roll mythology as the Parthenon, Brijitte West was emancipated by punk and the raw spark of the Stooges and MC5. She’s held to the faith ever since and From NY With Love adheres faithfully to the basic, elemental, mainline style of Manhattan rawk throughout.
What really makes this album stand out is West’s lyrical output, whose constant theme is an acknowledgement of the passing of time and 20th-century rock’s situation in this age. Typical Drunken Loser berates a former band member – ‘Now you’re pushing 45, you’ve got nothing to show for your rock’n’roll life’ – while titles like Close To Defeat and We Didn’t Make It are clear-eyed in the face of some imminent extinction. Lock And Chain, however, suggests both defiance and compulsion when being in a band is the fate you’re wedded to: ‘Can’t break this lock and chain.’
