My Amazon Reviews: The Killers "Battle Born"

To The Battle Born,
4 Out Of 5 Stars

The Killers are attention hounds. Especially lead singer Brandon Flowers. From every over-emoted vocal, to all the Springsteenian attempts at epic teenaged dramas, and from guitarist Dave Keuning's stadium ready guitars, The Killers playtheir music to a bog coliseum. They even shot for an REO Speedwagon ballad on "Here With Me" (hey, the opening line "Wheels Are Turning" was the title to an REO album.) So if you're a bit put off by grandiose overreaching, "Battle Born" probably isn't an album for you.

On the other hand, I consider "Sam's Town" to be an amazing album, and "Battle Born" is more in that vein than the art poppish "Day and Age." And just like "Sam's Town," the results are either gloriously grand ("Runaways") or a touch too much ("Miss Atomic Bomb"). That's only because The Killers refuse to let ambition hold them back, so amidst the big USA songs the heed from NJ via NV to the 80's synths in "Flesh and Bone" or "The Rising Tide," "Battle Born" wears its Las Vegas heart on its snazzy sleeve. You'll find few better rock albums this year than "Battle Born."

     

My Amazon Reviews: Kiss "Monster"

Dinosaurs Still Stomp the Earth
3 Out Of 5 Stars

For their 20th studio album in 40 years, Kiss lean into their strength as old-man rockers. "Monster" treads the same stomping grounds as past Kiss albums like "Revenge" or "Sonic Boom," doing their utter best to capture passed glories, while still rocking righteously. Paul is still in fine voice and Gene is still in big ego. Expecting anything else?

Well, you shouldn't be. Kiss has been Stanley/Simmons with sidemen since Ace and Peter left almost three decades ago. They have carried that with aplomb and made plenty of good music, even if the themes have not changed all that much. Gene still sings about being the demon and headed "Back To The Stone Age," they still try and flaunt outsider status on "Freak," and Tommy Thayer is coached to sound as much like Ace as he can on "Outta This World." Drummer Eric Singer does his time on "All For The Love of Rock and Roll" to keep up the appearances of a democratic, four man band.

Make no mistake, though. This is the Stanley/Simmons machine, with Paul still strutting his stuff (the love on an elevator saga "Take Me Down Below" and the first single "Hell or Hallelujah") and Gene is still in arrested development ("The Devil Is Me"). The lone concession to trying something out of character is the a capella opening on "Eat Your Heart Out." As for the rest of "Monster," you've heard this before. It's not a bad Kiss album, it's just Kiss being Kiss.

Meanwhile. more from the oldman rock brigade....

     

My Amazon Reviews: Huey Lewis and The News "Soulsville"

Old News is Good News
3 Out Of 5 Stars
 

It took nine years for Huey Lewis and The News to move from "Plan B" to "Soulsville," and it's time to travel back in time. if you recall, this is The News second stroll down a full disc of memory lane. In 1994, the band issued "Four Chords and Several Years Ago," an attempt at tipping their collective hat to the band's R'n'B influences. This time they go a step further and head to the legendary Stax studios to get a little of that authentic Stax groove, horns and female singers intact. (Think Cris Isaak's trip to Sun Studios for "Beyond The Sun.")

For the most part, they pull it off by pulling at plenty of the obvious picks. Solomon Burke would have been an easy choice to pluck from, but the band goes for a more obscure single "Get You Off Of My Mind" (which was a number one R'n'B single, but barely cracked the top 40. It was easier to cover "Cry to Me," ala the Rolling Stones, or "Tonight's The Night." Same with Joe Tex's "I Want to Do Everything for You." Lewis has always been an erstwhile soul singer, even in his pop days, so the materiel suits him. In fact, the only blunder is covering "Respect Yourself," already done to death by the likes of Bruce Willis. It's like old friends together for a good night of jamming.

The only thing that bums me out is that Huey and The News have not issued a new CD for almost a decade of fresh material. Given that he hasn't done so since "Hard at Play" (1991) prior to "Plan B," it would be nice to see what kind of song-stash they've built up. C'mon Huey, we know you've got a good CD in you somewhere.