Three albums into the Alice solo era and we already have a curious tangent. For Lace and Whiskey he decided to move away from shock rock, and instead take on the persona of a fictional, hard-boiled detective. Unlike Goes to Hell, which worked because not only did it retain the schlocky edge which was essential to the Alice persona, but also gave it depth, here the lines are blurred between meandering story and compelling individual tracks from the Ezrin-Wagner-Cooper alliance. The album's bookends stand out (especially the lead-off "It's Hot Tonight"), but in the middle they lose themselves in the midst of this un-rock 'n'roll story line (the disco-heavy "No More Love At Your Convenience"). There is also another ballad cut from the same cloth as "Only Women Bleed", which hit the Top 10 ("You and Me"). Definitely not his best, but points of interest for fans and casual interlopers alike.