When I first heard this record months ago, casually on XM radio's "Boneyard" Channel in a car I rented up north, I didn't realize who these guys were, but I remember thinking, this is great, a return to blues and pop tinged hair metal sort of in the vein of
Cinderella and Dirty Deeds, maybe a little Helix in there. But having read unconsciously about them, I now realize who they are and that
Back Again is no return, but yet a continuation of the post metal prowess played out in pure rock and roll fashion, stripped down with no gimmicks. Surprisingly, what did not come to mind is that I was hearing basically half of Kix, including vocalist, Steve Whiteman.
All kidding aside, this post-Kix project, now reissued by Perris Records, is a lot stronger than their 80's material that seemed too much polished for all the wrong reasons, Whiteman's voice even sound more raw, but yet clear and on key. The majority of the tracks have the catchy hooks, especially with the band's and record's title tracks, the dark emotional laden
"Wrapped Around You," the sub-ballad
"Pink Glasses" and the groove driven
"Damage Control," all adding the fuel for the albums melodic stance.
The live bonus section towards the end, showcase the tightness of the band's live performance, hell, Kix's live performances were actually much better than they were on a studio record, almost being a totally different band in the first place, and
Funny Money captures the band how they should have been, without all the major label commercialization. Well, enough about what should have been,
Back Again is "what is" therefore, this release can really satisfy the appetite for those who wish to hear a great return to classic hair metal brought forth with the modern vibe, put all the Kix typecasting aside for this one, I know I did.
Written by
Hashman Thursday, August 19, 2004
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