Old Dog & New Tricks

On more than one occasion in this blog, I have said that I am a child of the 80's.  I grew up on bands like Poison, Bon Jovi, and Guns N' Roses (GnR).  That said... the nostalgia factor is in full effect for this post.

Back From The Dead

Before you get your hopes up... no GnR is not getting back together, sorry.  However, the former drummer for the group, Steven Adler, has released an album.  Back From The Dead features a great "classic" sound!  Big, fat reverb on the snare, screaming guitar solos, and vocal lines that have shades of Bon Jovi and Van Halen are sure to make any fan of hair metal smile (I know I did).  Certain songs like "Just Don't Ask" and "Waterfall" have that throwback "power ballad" feel to them too, adding to the vintage style.  I know what you're thinking... what kind of a throwback record can be complete without cowbell?  Yep!  Adler's got that too!

Not everything is tea and roses (or is that supposed to be Guns N' Roses?) on this record.  Certain stylistic choices fell flat on me, or felt out of place in the song.  Another negative is that the record as a whole seems sonically flat.  Everything is generally in your face - all the time. Song to song the sonic profile doesn't seem to really change that much. You don't really have time to let your ears rest before getting hammered again.  Some people like that, but I could've used a break on this one.  Lastly, and not really a complaint since it fits the style, I found the lyrics to be slightly adolescent in nature.  But as I said, that's par for the course when dealing with a retro-style record.

Adler

You can find more Adler by visiting the website, www.adlerrocks.com or visit the Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube pages.

In other news....

"I didn't do it" - Bane

I'm sure that you've heard the low rumbles of laughter surrounding the power outage at this year's Superbowl.  Well, it turns out it wasn't Beyonce's half-time show that did it.  Numerous theories abound, including mine.  I think the networks did it for the ratings since the game seemed to go really quickly in the first half.  They wanted to make things more exciting for viewers.  It's either that.... or Bane.

In any case, believe it or not, I don't have a lot of criticism of Beyonce's show, because that's exactly what she did... show.  That opening number was more of a strip-tease and dance number than an actual song.  What are you there to do? Shake your bum, or sing?  The one part I could say that was kind-of cool in a "oh I remember them" sort of way was the reunion that took place on stage.

Beyonce strip-tease?

Also, I would like to take this time to remind readers that this year's halftime show was the first in around 6 or 7 years to feature someone under the age of 60.  We've sat through archaic performances from Tom Petty, Bruce Springstein, The Rolling Stones, and other geriatric artists enough.  So, thank you Beyonce, for bringing "youth" back to the halftime show.

As always... be sure to check back soon.  The Grammies are coming (does anyone have Pepto?)