JENNY TOLMAN - If You Can't Stand The Heat - Old Sol Records

Modern day troubadour Jenny Tolman has always had an uncanny knack for finding perfect balance between heartstring tugged lyrics and those that lean on the sassy, tongue-and-cheek and raise an up-tempo ruckus.

Following the softer paced “Timbuktu,” “Rodeo Must Be A Woman,” and the broke down version on “Ain’t No Good For Me,” she now swerves back into the tempo driven, tongue-and-cheek, unpacking a track that was written a few years ago with Dave Brainard and Bill Whyte, “If You Can’t Stand The Heat.”

With its irresistibly sultry sway, the hip grooving rhythm immediately allows Tolman to accent her stellar vocal with an air of confident sass as she firmly lays down the law with her man throughout the opening verse, flirtatiously hinting at the steamy night in together that she not only wants to have with him, but that she’s going to have with him!

Cleverly leaning the innuendo against cooking and kitchen geared references, she playfully paints the atmosphere of the type of sensual night they’re about to have while enticing and nearly daring him to get in line and follow her lead; “I like my oven on high and my loving all night,” “'Cause when it comes to my love your taste buds baby are fixing to feel the spice,” “'Cause we ain't stopping, 'Til the smoke detector's popping and the neighbor's calling 911,” etc.

An aura of empowerment embeds her discovered power as a woman and the ability to get what she wants as she guides the chorus:

“If you can't stand the heat, get out of my kitchen

You best believe my kissing's more delicious than my fried chicken

That's finger-licking

Yeah, this here Betty Crocker needs 110% attention

Yeah, did I mention?

If you can't stand the heat, get out of my kitchen”

With very memorable lyrics that provide the coupled-up females with an anthem to rally behind, combined with an ultra-vibey melody that perfectly matches the tonality of the song, Tolman brushes her modern era throwback sound into an intriguing spotlighting performance.

The very fact that this song is pulled from her vault, tells us that it was initially explored for placement on one of her first two albums - There Goes the Neighborhood or Married in a Honky Tonk – and while it would have easily fit within the atmosphere of either record, it now acts as a solid placement that satisfies her exuberant fan base who are clamoring for her next chapter.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

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