Listening to Rockaholic, the latest CD by Warrant, is like stepping into a time machine. Get ready to bust out the Aqua-Net and take a trip back to the spandex-clad, big-haired rock scene of Mid-Eighties Sunset Strip. For those who weren't there, it was a time where rock was defined by heavy guitars, pounding bass, booming drums, sandpaper vocals, and ten-pound makeup jobs that would make Tammy Faye Baker cringe! If you grew up on Eighties rock and love it like I do, then Rockaholic is not to be missed!
Long-time fans have always known that Warrant is a great party band, both in concert and on record. This CD definitely carries on that tradition. Released through Frontiers Records on May 17, 2011, Rockaholic contains fourteen all new tracks. They are mostly rockers with a few great ballads sprinkled in. The up tempo songs are interesting and energetic; the ballads are emotionally charged. This CD definitely proves that the band still has the goods, even after all these years. The songs are tight, and every performance is spot on! Highlights for me include: Snake, Dusty's Revenge, and Life's A Song.
The only bummer for me is that original singer, Jani Lane, is no longer in the band. While the other four original members have remained, Lane has not performed on the band's last two albums. Rockaholic features singer Robert Mason, whom some of you will remember from his work with George Lynch in Lynch Mob. For their previous CD, 2006's Born Again, they hired Black 'n' Blue vocalist Jamie St. James, who left them after that album to reunite with his former band.
Like any true Warrant fan, I do miss Jani's presence, but I have to confess that his absence has not stopped me from loving the work that Warrant has done without him. Robert Mason has proven himself to be a very worthy replacement. In fact, I think that he has given the band a great shot in the arm. His passionate singing style is a bit grittier than Lane's, but I have no doubt that he will be able to do the old songs justice, because he is still melodic and expressive enough to pull off Lane's songs with ease.
Stated simply, this album is a blast to listen to! If you love a good old-fashioned high-energy rock & roll party, this album will deliver it in spades! It is guaranteed to have you breaking out your air-guitar and singing into your hairbrush in front of the mirror or your money back...so crank it up and release the rock star within!
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