As a sort of teaser for the new album, Ooky Spooky, Voltaire releases this very fine CDM on the label he’s always been on; Projekt. It’s consisting out of five songs. Two from the upcoming Ooky Spooky, one from the David Bowie tribute album .2 Contamination, one demo version of a song, and one live version of a song. Five awesome songs that defy standard genre’s. Is it folk? Well, sort of, but not really. Cabaret seems to be the most fitting term. Folk cabaret, cabaret folk. Why cabaret? Listen to the lyrics, and you’ll understand. Not the usual songs about lost loves, death, live, nature, betrayal, etc. No, Voltaire creates little stories and put them into music. Zombie Prostitute, the song that is, tells a tale of Voltaire coming across a zombie girl, and fancying her. He eventually gets the disease she has as well, turning him into a self called zombie gigolo. Voltaire’s lyrics are just awesome, you’ll just have to listen to it. Then there’s a Spanish song, which is in atmosphere quite alike the previous song. Very uptempo, very energetic, very happy. Cantina, the fourth song, is probably my favorite. Voltaire comes in an cantina, ordering an orangina, and is being involved in sexual happenings with various personages from Star Wars. A lot of anal sex, described with various words. It’s hilarious, it’s funny, it just rocks. It’s a demo version, so I wonder what the final version well be like. The last song, Hell In A Hand Basket played live, has a wonderful sound. It’s hardly noticeable it’s being played live, except for some audience screams. The quality really astounded me. All in all this release really makes you want more. I’m looking forward to Ooky Spooky and more of Voltaire’s lyrical achievements. I’m especially interested in the Rammstein parody song that’s going to be on there.

It’s been a while since gothic gadfly Voltaire put out an album; Zombie Prostitute serves as a teaser for his next record Ooky Spooky, due next year. The title track is an excellent example of what makes Voltaire wonderful to some and infuriating to others. A jaunty acoustic pop tune concering the titular subject (no artsy metaphors here), it contains lines like “I got a stiffy for the stiff in front of me” sung so matter-of-factly you can’t help but smile. That song and “Dia De Los Muertos” come from Ooky Spooky; the EP also includes a demo of the Star Wars-themed, cheerfully countrified pornography of “Cantina,” a live take of the singalong “Hell in a Hand Basket” and a lovely cover of David Bowie/Iggy Pop’s “China Girl,” which proves Voltaire can play it straight when he wants to. Zombie Prostitute is no substitute for a real album, but it’ll tide over the fans, and it also makes a good introduction for those unfamiliar with Voltaire’s unique universe. -Michael Toland

Zombie Prostitute is a taster for Voltaire's next album, Ookie Spooky. As an EP, Zombie Prostitute works on its own merits and really whets the appetite for what is to come. The title track is an upbeat song in Voltaire's usually goth-gypsy style--now with added horns--about the world's oldest undead profession. "Dia De Los Muertos" is perhaps unlike anything you've ever heard before: mariachi-goth-ska with Spanish lyrics; somehow it works perfectly. Next up is a faithful cover of David Bowie's "China Girl" on which Voltaire's abilities as a singer really stand out. The demo of "Cantina" on this EP is basically a nearly-eight-minute joke about sodomy that may ruin the fondest memories from your childhood if you are one of those people who can't laugh at Star Wars. Rounding out the disc is a live version of "Hell in a Hand Basket," a celebration of being bad in the face of religious hypocrisy.

All right, Voltaire, hurry up with the full album already. -Jack