Remember when rock was fun? Well, apparently Tim Karr does, and proves it most convincingly with the debut release 'Stereosonic Meltdown' from his latest band project TRIGGERDADDY, which is an exhilarating mix of Cheap Trick, David Bowie and T Rex with a dose of 80's hard rock sleaze added in for good measure.
Karr, who first came to prominence back in 1990 with the album 'Rubbin' Me The Right Way' which spawned a # 1 Canadian Rock Radio Hit with the title track, has recently reappeared on the scene after, as he puts it "a hiatus, or was it a self-imposed exile?" His last release being the underrated and underheard 'Everybody Bleeds' which came out in 1998. .He apparently has put the time away to good use, constructing an album full of memorable, hard rockin' songs that will burrow into your brain and not let go. Which could be a bad thing if they weren't good, but thankfully they ARE.
Karr has been joined in this venture by a fantastic array of well known musicians including ex Guns 'N Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, drummers Eric Singer ( KISS, Black Sabbath, Badlands, Alice Cooper) and Brian Tichy (Pride & Glory, Billy Idol) , guitarist Ryan Roxie (Alice Cooper, Slash's Snakepit) and Teddy Zig Zag (Guns N Roses, Alice Cooper) to name just several of the artists on this album, all of whom seem to be having a ball playing music which is somewhat different from what you'd normally associate them with.
The album starts off with a bang with "Space & Time", which featues Robin Zander-ish vocals from Karr that closely approximate the sound of '70's Cheap Trick in both the lead and harmony vocals. In fact one could be excused for thinking this is a lost gem from 'In Color' or Trick's self titled debut, so close in sound it is. A great song, and a wonderful way to start . The hard rockin' continues with 'Gimme Some Skin', which fuses the Cheap Trick overtones with '80's L.A. metal ala G N' R, with a suitably sleazy guitar solo courtesy of Clarke. The proceedings slow down a bit on "Enemy", which features a passionate, Lennonesque vocal turn by Karr, the understated keyboards from Zig Zag adding a sense of depth to the song. Picking up the pace again on "Jesus Cowboy", things don't slow down again until the bluesy "Train To Nowhere", which sounds like The Stones meeting The Black Crowes in a smoky bar somewhere on the wrong side of the tracks, once again featuring strong vocals from Karr. Which is followed by another track with a retro vibe "Shape Of Things 2 Come", reminiscent of Mott The Hoople in spots, before romping through two covers, first transforming Prince's "Peach" into a T Rex like rocker then taking on T Rex themselves with a more than credible cover of "20th Century Boy", which rocks just as hard as the original. Finally the album culminates with "Price Of Love", a ballad on which Karr's vocals recall 'Diamond Dogs' era Bowie, while the band kicks it out like the Spiders From Mars in a more reflective mode, and is a great way to end the album.
Speaking of the band, one would be remiss if the contributions of the musicians weren't mentioned. All the players do an excellent job of keeping on track, there's no overplaying, with everyone involved playing exactly what's needed and nothing more, in the true spirit of what these songs are all about, just no frills kick ass Rock N Roll. Which is accentuated by a crisp and clear production from Gilby Clarke, which gives the album the needed punch in order to get these songs across convincingly.
Bottom line, if you're looking for some cool tunes to blast out of the car on a hot summer's afternoon, this would be a wonderful album to do so with. Turn it up and let the sounds of TRIGGERDADDY take you away to a time when having fun in music wasn't considered a crime. Strong songwriting and great playing make this one a winner.
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