The legendary band is back!
Ever since
Hanoi Rocks returned to the scene with the amazing "12 shots on the Rocks" the band has sounded inspired and basically on fire.
"Street Poetry" is more consistent than the previous album "Another Hostile Takeover". The album is straight forward and doesn't deviate from the full blown Rock N´Roll path. "Street Poetry" contains 12 consistent rocking songs, which mix bits of old school
Hanoi Rocks with
Hanoi Rocks 2007. A great example is the first single
Fashion.
Fashion combines old school
Hanoi Rocks song writing elements blended with their new and powerful sound. The irresistible twang guitar gives it a unique sound and the chorus is superb.
Fashion has a magic vibe and it has grown to be among the best songs on the album.
Hypermobile and the title track open the album full throttle in the same vein as
Obscured and
Back in yer Face kicks off the 2 previous albums.
I love Andy McCoy´s playing - his tone on
Highwired is unique. It has the best chorus on the disc and Monroe sounds fantastic (which he does on all songs).
Highwired is based on a catchy melody line and Monroe/McCoy provides the ingredients to make it the best song on the album.
Despite the Finnish and Swedish gentlemen in
Hanoi Rocks being a bit older than the average Rock N´Roll band, it's not until
Power Of Persuasion that they slow down and treat us with a mid-tempo song. Guitarist Conny Bloom co-wrote the song with Monroe/McCoy.
Hanoi Rocks has always been diverse and a horn section
provides
Power of Persuasion with a new aspect. While the verse is standard, the chorus is fantastic.
Teenage Revolution is a nostalgic trip back to the days when Marc Bolan topped the charts, while
This One's For Rock'N'Roll pays homage to all Rock N´Roll artists and bands. The chorus goes "
This one's for Rock ´N Roll - For everyone who's made it roll along" "From Chuck Beery to the Rolling Stones".... "from Little Richard to the Ramones"
Multi musician
Michael Monroe grabs his saxophone for
Worth Your Weight In Gold, which is another winner with a catchy chorus.
Hanoi Rocks still manages to RAWK despite the guitars aren't as up-front in the mix on this one.
Powertrip follows up the hectic album start with full blown explosive Rock N´Roll. Conny Bloom also co-wrote this one and again McCoy plays a great signature riff/solo - what a tone!!
Hanoi Rocks´ trump card is
Michael Monroe. He sounds fantastic! Everyone who has experienced him in concert knows he is damn energetic yet powerful. Monroe underlines that he is a potent vocalist on
Walkin´Away, which builds up for yet another catchy chorus. Compared to "Another hostile Takeover"
Hanoi Rocks really worked on making it a consistent album with emphasis on melodic choruses.
The energetic
Tootin' Star is an anonymous track on a high class album. The instrumental track
Fumblefoot And Busy Bee closes the album in best "Ennio Morricone spaghetti western movie soundtrack" way
Overall "Street Poetry" is a great consistent album. There are no letdowns with their previous album in mind. However, the album also lacks some unique stand out tracks which "Another Hostile Takeover" had.
All in all;
Hanoi Rocks again proves to be one of the best Glam/Hard Rock bands around. It's a great achievement since they were among the inventors of this genre.
Keep going boys! It's truly appreciated.
Written by
Michael Sunday, October 7, 2007
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