''Bruiser Queen'' is the second album by the American band

Cake Like Cake Like was an all-female indie rock band based in New York City. Its members were bassist and lead singer Kerri Kenney, drummer Jody Seifert, and vocalist and guitarist Nina Hellman. The band came together in 1993 when Kenney and Hellman met ...

, released in 1997. The band promoted the album with a UK tour.

Production

The album was produced by

Craig Wedren Craig Benjamin Wedren (born August 15, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and composer, who began his career fronting post-hardcore band Shudder to Think. Following the disbandment of Shudder to Think, Wedren pursued a career as a ...

and Carl Glanville.

Ric Ocasek Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the primary co-lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the rock ...

had produced "Mr. Fireman", for an earlier EP, and recommended the band to

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

, who signed them to his Vapor Records imprint.

Kerri Kenney Kerri Kenney-Silver (born January 20, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and musician. She is best known for starring as Trudy Wiegel on the mockumentary series ''Reno 911!'' and previously for her sketch comedy work on MT ...

wrote most of the album's lyrics.

Critical reception

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

wrote that "Kenney tries to stretch her low, atonally growly voice to perform Sonic Youth's Gordon-like tricks but lacks the attitude and passion behind the vocal." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' called the album "fairly slick in its minimalist way," writing that "although its style is spare and jittery, Cake Like can be glib, especially when celebrating sex with the traditional heat-seeking of 'Latin Lover' and 'Mr. Fireman'." '' The Rocket'' dismissed the album as "dull and colorless post-punk." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' opined that "with a sound that fits right in with the cool downtown experimental rock scene, and lyrics that blend equal parts unrestrained sarcasm and unbridled emotion, Cake Like proves that in the grown-up world, popular girls can take chances, too."

Scripps Howard The E. W. Scripps Company is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is he ...

wrote: "Rising above their sparse, simplistic arrangements—which tend to be of the monochromatic punk/folk variety— inaHellman and Kenney plow through their weirdly hostile songs like neo-beatniks at a poetry slam." The ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' called ''Bruiser Queen'' "upbeat songs about the lonely and the faithless."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

thought that Cake Like "does manage a few solid tunes, particularly the Teenage Fanclub-style playfulness of 'Lorraine's Car' and the punky 'Pretty New', but overall ''Bruiser Queen'' is a botch."

Track listing

Personnel

*Nina Hellman – guitar, vocals *

– bass, vocals *Jody Seifert – drums

References

{{authority control 1997 albums Cake Like albums