Being
the rock fan that I am, I was really stoked when I heard that Motley
Crue would be releasing a new album in the summer of 2008. The
album's first single was the title track, Saints Of Los
Angeles. The song was shipped to radio in advance of the
release, and heavily played to promote the record. It is based on the
strength of this tune that I couldn't wait to get my hands on the
album. The song had that classic Crue vibe; it was solid hard rock
with an in-your-face attitude. Needless to say that by the time the
release date was finally announced, I was chomping at the bit. I had
already pre-ordered the disc from amazon, and eagerly awaited its
arrival.
When
it finally came, I was momentarily at a loss. I was sort of
disappointed at first, because I was expecting a classic Motley
record that would stand up well next to their 1989 masterpiece, Dr.
Feelgood. Unfortunately, this wasn't what I got. Don't get me wrong,
I am not saying that I hated it or anything...at least, not
completely. However, I have to say that it definitely took me a
couple of listens to warm up to this one. There is more than enough
good material here to make the disc worth buying; it has many strong
points...one of them being some very menacing guitar work on the part
of Mick Mars...but overall, I didn't feel that it was the Crue's best
effort.
The
album kicks off with a spoken-word intro, reminiscent of the band's
1983 album, Shout At The Devil. It then segues into the
slightly punk-influenced Face Down In The Dirt, which
is a decent track, but not one of my personal favorites. The next
track, What's It Gonna Take, was the first that really
stood out to me. It has a great groove, and the wah-wah guitar tone
used on the chorus just suits the song perfectly. Also, this song is
one of two...the other being the title track...that contain
exceptional vocals by Vince Neil.
Next
up, we have Down At The Whiskey. This is a fun tune,
but again, not a favorite. The music is enjoyable, but the lyric is a
downright cheesy ode to the band's club days. The nostalgic feeling of this
song adds to the cheese factor. I guess I am not terribly interested
in hearing a band whose members are now entering middle age attempt
to relive the debauchery of their lost youth! In my opinion, you
wouldn't be missing much if you skipped this one altogether.
This
brings us to my reason for buying the disc in the first place. Saints
Of Los Angeles is classic Crue in every sense. The
combination of Tommy's thundering drums and Nikki's pounding bass are
about as subtle as a concrete baseball bat to the base of the skull,
to which Mick's growling guitar is the perfect complement; he really
bares his fangs on this one, folks! On top of all of this, add
Vince's shrill shrieks, and viola, instant masterpiece!
I
found the track after Saints to be pretty interesting
as well. MF Of The Year is another heavy tune where
Mick shines. As for the remaining tracks, they are cool enough, but
in my opinion, there was nothing else of real interest until I got to
track eleven, This Ain't A Love Song. I guess it was
just my type of song. Again, the other tracks aren't necessarily bad,
they are just not what appeals to me personally.
I
think my biggest problem with this album is that it lacks cohesion;
the song styles are all over the place. This is definitely an album
that you will have to hear and judge for yourself, though. Some may
like the tracks that I did not care for, while others may agree with
my assessment. As I said earlier, it's a strong record with enough
good songs to make it worth the cash, but overall, not the best
Motley Crue record.
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