Sunday, December 2, 2012

CD Review: Lightning Strikes Again, By Dokken



Dokken has recently released their tenth studio album, entitled Lightning Strikes Again, and in my opinion, it is their most impressive collection of new music since their 1999 effort, Erase The Slate.  Shortly before its 2008 release, Don Dokken did a series of interviews in which he repeatedly stated that the new album would be a return to the classic Dokken sound of the mid-Eighties.  I have to admit that I was instantly skeptical when I heard this, because many classic hard rock bands of the period have made that promise, and have failed miserably to deliver.  It often seems that for many of these bands, nostalgia has become their best marketing tool.  In fact, many of them rely on it to keep themselves afloat.  I can assure you that this is absolutely not the case with Dokken's latest venture!

In addition to that fact, there were other reasons for my skepticism as well.  I didn't understand how he could make that claim considering that only two of the original band members remained, and that one of the absent members was George Lynch.  After all, George's guitar sound was a key ingredient in that classic Dokken formula.  While the band's current guitarist, Jon Levin, is a stellar player in his own right, his style is very different from George's.  How in the world could Don ever expect to recreate the band's heyday without George?

Once I heard the album, I had to hand it to Don, though; he delivered on his promise in fine fashion.  LSA is full of the heavy-yet-melodic rock that Dokken is best known for.  Several titles stand out here, including: Standing On The Outside, Give Me A Reason, Heart To Stone, and my personal favorite song, Oasis.

In spite of the fact that George Lynch is MIA, the overall vibe of the album is solidly Dokken; it stands up very nicely alongside their early albums without sounding dated.  Jon Levin effortlessly proves that while he may not be George, he is certainly no slouch; his playing is phenomenal.  For those of you who have not listened to Dokken in a few years, I can promise that one listen to this CD will have you scrambling to find your old vinyl copies of Tooth & Nail or Back For The Attack!

Although I liked some tracks more than others, which I guess is to be expected, there is only one song that I would call a stinker.  I'm referring to the ballad entitled “How I Miss Your Smile.”  The acoustic guitar melody is beautiful on this tune, but for me, the lyric just kills the song.  It is a sappy little scribbling about love gone wrong, which relies entirely too heavily on hokey sentiment for my liking.  Otherwise, the album shines, and I would recommend it highly; it's definitely worth the money!

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