Voice of the Beehive - Sex & Misery (1995)

Voice of the Beehive's personal and professional lives reached critical mass in the period between Honey Lingers and Sex & Misery, their third and final album, and the result was a nice, occasionally inspired little collection of songs that never really came into focus. Bitterness and creative frustration materialized in even the best tracks, and when they let it take center-stage, as in the chuggy mid-section of "Love Locked Inside," it was still weirdly dishonest and unconvincing. In a number of ways, Voice of the Beehive were trapped and it showed. While more mature than Let It Bee and less dogged by the label interference of Honey Lingers, Sex & Misery sounded badly prepared and overwhelmed by insecurity, and ultimately like a dim finale to a clearly underappreciated musical career.