So… Axl Rose has been working on the next Guns N’ Roses album, Chinese Democracy, for the past 14 years, spending around $13 million in the process. Yeah, that’s longer than it took Lord Of The Rings to get made. That alone piques my interest in the album, as a possible eclectic musical misfire / masterpiece like The Beach Boys’ Smile.
Tim Finn is Neil Finn’s brother, and while he’s made some music I really love, I can’t shake the feeling that his best work was in Split Enz, a brief stint with Crowded House, and the other partnership with Neil, The Finn Brothers. Say It Is So is decidedly average and sadly jumbled. Despite solid production and a fun energy, lackluster songwriting and uninspired lyrics drag things down.
This album forces me to admit my age. There’s just too much screaming and full-frontal guitar assault for me to enjoy it, like a barrier protecting me against self-destructive impulses.
Meh, PCD from the Pussycat Dolls is a typical sugary pop convention, a bevy of beauties singing over whatever passes for R&B these days. It’s like the Spice Girls after singing lessons.
These guys sound like the White Stripes if Meg White was twice the drummer and could do crazy fills. Plus a whole lot of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. The only thing missing is a virtuoso lead guitarist on the level of Jimmy Page, but I guess that would be a cover band.