Lilly Hiatt – “Some Kind of Drug” (Singles Going Steady)

Steve Horowitz: When G-Easy sang about “Some Kind of Drug”, it was a song about a lover that drove him crazy. Lilly Hiatt sings about a different kind of love. Hers is for a city (Nashville, Los Angeles?) and the impact gentrification has had its soul. There may be nothing shaking on shakedown street anymore, but the side streets, the veins of the town, are still alive. Lilly Hiatt’s guitar does the heavy lifting. It’s a driving force that recalls the factories, traffic, and noise that were once ever-present features of daily life. She passionately plays as if the future depends on our joint awareness of what has happened and what still can be. [9/10]

Mike Elliott: The sound of cruising through town with the windows down as Lilly Hiatt’s Rickenbacker jangles through the night air and her voice invites you to share in this love letter to the city she holds so dear. Another delicious track from her new album. Bonus: Listen for her dad’s voice, like a ghost, backing her in the distance. Like any loving parent, allowing her to go her own way while offering subtle yet loving support throughout.[8/10]

Jessica Brant: The Janis Joplin of country-kissed indie rock, Lilly Hiatt, hums secrets of her hometown into our ears in “Some Kind of Drug”. A mesmerizing video with heartfelt lyrics. [7/10]

Mick Jacobs: Hometowns: a universal concept that everyone interprets differently. Since it means such different things to each person, you can never knock someone’s feelings towards their own. However, this also means you’re also not necessarily going to share in those feelings either. [5/10]

Rich Wilhelm: Lilly Hiatt has developed a reputation as a killer singer/songwriter who can translate a variety of life experiences into sharp guitar-based pop-rock songs. Hiatt is back with a new album, Walking Proof, and if “Some Kind of Drug” is any indication, it’s an album worth hearing. [8/10]

Scott Zuppardo: Killer song. Lilly rules, no two ways about it. It doesn’t matter who her father is; she’s a bonafide rockstar, and her propulsion is fun to watch for the past bunch of years. Go, Lilly! [7/10]

SCORE: 7.33

“Some Kind of Drug” appears on Lilly Hiatt’s new album Walking Proof. This video was directed by Helen Gilley.