Say Your Prayers . . .

So, when word first hit the street that Motley Crue was putting the finishing touches on a new studio album (Saints of Los Angeles), I was psyched to say the least. Then, my buddy, the creator of this blog here, asks me to throw down a review . . . super psyched. I told him right then and there that it would be difficult to write an unbiased review of the new album because Motley has been my favorite band since 1981. He simply replied that he wasn't expecting one.

I decided to wait on the review until I had gone to see them live in Milwaukee, WI. I thought that hearing some of the new tunes live would give the review some added credibility since Motley has always outdone themselves on stage. The Crue played only (2) new songs - the title track and Mutherf***er of the Year. By the time the concert rolled around, I was predictably done with the title track. S.O.L.A. is a good single, but I've always been drawn to Crue's non-radio stuff. I'll give them this though, it was pretty cool having the lead singers from all the opening bands joining Vince for the chorus (et al "Cruefest"). MF'er OTY ripped live. Explosions on stage and a live crowd have a way of doing that to a song.

Enough about the show. What do I think of the Crue's first album of all-new material in (8) years? In a word . . . SOLID! It's everything the die-hard Crue fan wants - with just enough newness to grab the youth of the world by the hair and thrown them into the pit. I hope to God that some of these songs make it to radio so that people will remember what rock is.

I tend to judge Motley albums by the strength of performances by Vince Neil (vocals) and Mick Mars (lead guitar). I do so because I know that Tommy Lee (drums) and Nikki Sixx (bass) are always going to kick major ass. Tommy and Nikki did not disappoint on this record. Nikki proves that the old man can still rock and provide us with world class lyrics (This ain't a love song, it's just a f**k song). That's ROCK! Tommy? Well, Tommy's just Tommy. Back in the sack with Pam Anderson and laying down killer beats. Vince's vocals are as good or better than any since Shout at the Devil. His effort on "Just Another Psycho" may be his best since he got clean. The best part about this record though, is the emergence of Mick Mars. Yes, I said emergence. Everyone knows of Mick's ability to create and lay down tasty, memorable licks for the choruses of Nikki's songs, but what you may not know is how good he can be when he breaks off a solo. And to make things even better, on a few tunes, the boys let Nikki carry the main riff through the 3rd verse so that Mick can freestyle from his solo to the end. Tremendous!

The album starts with a spoken intro, which I think was a mistake. Any Crue fan will inevitably compare it to "In the Beginning" from Shout at the Devil. Tough to beat that. S.O.L.A. has everything from hard rock blues (White Trash Circus) to punk (Welcome to the Machine) to power ballad (The Animal in Me). It's retrospective (Down at the Whiskey) and introspective (What's it Gonna Take). And of course, there are plenty of good old fashioned ass kickers. The best song on the record, IMO, is "Chicks = Trouble". It comes together so well. All-in-all . . . classic Crue! - - by James Reetz