"Rockaholic" isn't a Warrant album in the pure sense for those that know "Cherry Pie" and nothing else. What is it, though, is a very solid hard rock album that has grit, flair, fire and above all, retro-80s slick swagger. A lot of this is contributed to the attitude thick delivery of new vocalist Robert Mason. He isn't as raw as in his Big Cock days, but sings somewhere crossed between the slithering sexuality of his Lynch Mob days and the melodic slickness of his stint with James Byrd's "Apocalypse Chime" disc. He brings the color, the flavor, the centering point for the album and allows the musicians to just bloom around him. Always underrated, the duo of Joey Allen and Erik Turner on the axes, let it go here and just shred and power riff through everything with force and energy.
There is no question about whether this is a hard rock album or not, everything about it has edge and verve. Every moment is absolutely electrified and never over produced. It easily can be compared to Badlands, Cinderella, Saints & Sinners and other bands that were more heavy blues based than lipstick glam. Not a lot of modern references, and you can surely see bits of "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich" peeking through in the riffs and choruses, which is always a good thing.
Warrant has gone down the tragic trendy road with "Belly to Belly" and luckily
"Rockaholic" sticks to the heavier rock formula and just rolls with it.
The album opens full throttle and without a hitch with the howling and rip roaring
"Sex and Love". It's a big rock number that lays the attitude on thick and uncompromisingly. This is pure 80s slamming rock all the way and they have been playing it live for nearly a year now, so it is great to finally have a studio version of it.
"Innocence Gone" attemptings at thrilling with slicing guitar and completed with huge vocals and a sweet, instant hook that takes you surprise like a snake in the grass...speaking of which, next up is
"Snake" which is all blues and swagger, and undeniably stamped
Warrant all the way.
"Dusty's Revenge" is an atmospheric western tinged track that has a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western vibe. You can practically see the tumble weeds rolling by as the track outlines a tale of revenge. The vivid southwesterly musical painting has subdued colors and desert washed heat waves of sound. Mason keeps his voice in a moody midrange that suits the song brilliantly. The first soft and mushy track is
"Home", a big ballad that deserves the attention, and likely will strike a chord with those looking for another piece of "Heaven" a little closer to
"Home". However, it's the ultra melodic mix of
"What Love Can Do" which reaches out and nabs you, Mason's vocals as smooth as silk, and the
AOR melody structuring combined with dynamite rough-edged guitars is an amazing combination. This is reminiscent of Silent Witness, another Mason fronted band from days gone by.
Also along these lines is
"Life's A Song", the second
AOR-ish track that lets Robert's vocals really shine, but can't claim any real originality or the extraordinary. It's a safe Bon Jovi-like number, midtempo and free flowing, with a nice shot of nostalgia. This is also the first single, and has an official video made for it.
"Show Must Go On" breaks out the assault attack attitude and is a speed rush. Flurries of guitars like a snowstorm in a hurricane, fist shaking verses and a dizzying chorus, as it just flat out runs with all the thunder blazing behind it.
"Cocaine Freight Train" is just as quick, and a little dirtier, channeling that "Appetite for Destruction"
Guns N' Roses sound.
"Found Forever" is the second ballad, lovely and uncomplicated. It is never remiss in slathering on the big, emotional vocal lines and chorus. Perhaps not a classic, but a solid track nontheless.
"Candy Man" holds nothing back, and paints its seedy picture without compunction.
"Sunshine" has a huge rhythm and some nice vocals.
"Tears in the City" shows the difficult side to both life and love, in a laid-back setting.
"The Last Straw" is another hard rock slammer that borders on crossing over to the metal side with its sneer and defiance.
"Rockaholic" is all over the place and sometimes revisiting the same formula very close together, and that is perhaps its greatest drawback. When they are letting Mason run free off the chain he absolutely ignites the cd in places where anyone else in the vocal spot would have made it seem average. Honestly, the songs are mostly average themselves, run-of-the-mill pieces that could have been recorded by just about anyone, yet bumped up many notches thanks to the professionalism and talent of Robert Mason. He's the one carrying the album, which is kind of a shame, because with better material this could have been absolutely fantastic. Instead, it's simply pretty good, and that's a damn shame. Yet the more spins it gets, the more you tend to like it, it's a slow grower, and while not absolutely
Warrant sounding, it's a big slab of heavy rock n' roll played, well, like it used to be played. And that's a reason for falling in love with it, right there.
Written by
Alanna Friday, May 13, 2011
Show all reviews by AlannaRatingsAlanna: 7.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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