On this album,
the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs display influences ranging from the early
Stooges to hardcore punk and garage rock. The range of styles, however, does not so much reflect the band's versatility as it suggests their evolution through playing in the manner of their heroes. Several raw,
Stooge-like songs sound too much alike, with almost unintelligible vocals. One song, "Why You Gotta Come First," is played so fast that it sounds as if
the Cheetahs were trying to win a fastest performance contest. Many songs also end with overly flamboyant guitar feedback -- and laughter can actually be heard at one track's end as if the band knew this was laying it on too thick. But
the Cheetahs have some good material here. "No More" is a dark punk anthem with a surprising touch of sitar and a bleak lyric that gives the album its title. "White Collar Money" and "Lookout" sound like good-old-boy '70s hard rock, with audible vocals and catchy guitar riffs. "Automatic" is punky with funny lyrics, and the closing track, "Dirty Mockingbird," evokes '60s garage rockers like
the Seeds and
Count 5, whose hit "Psychotic Reaction" may have inspired "Mockingbird"'s long instrumental horn-enhanced coda. The little extras and surprises on parts of the album show that the
Streetwalkin' Cheetahs may be more than what they seem on first listening. ~ Lynne Bronstein