Buckcherryâs âCrazy Bitchâ has always been a straight up sexy dance anthem. Only god himself knows the number of strippers that have made car payments while that song has played in the background. My high school house parties were littered with students who would get loose when the opening drum beats would kick in. The grainy guitar riff would overdrive every person into party mode. It has always been a naturally naughty song that has invoked the rock star side of all of us. Buckcherryâs latest album, Rock ânâ Roll, goes down as their attempt to get everybody up and rocking but it comes up short and out of breath.
Track 1: “Bring It On Back” starts with a steadily increasing snare drum beat that leads into a dirty guitar riff. Josh Todd has an incredibly strong voice with a wide range. His vibrato seems to have an unwavering stamina. “Bring it on back / Is this a chain reaction?”
Track 2: “Tight Pants,” one of my personal favorites, opens with an incredible horn section. The song has a wild feel to it and itâs an extremely danceable track. I can see this song quickly becoming a crowd favorite. Hard rock wedding receptions are going to turn up to this track. The video follows around a glorious bubble butt that will make an ass man/woman out of anyone that views the supremely sexy story.
Track 3: “Wish to Carry On” reminds me of an 80s motivational rock anthem. Buckcherry may have found the butt rock answer to depression. âTo free your mind and forgive yourself.â The song is more centered around breaking down the mental barriers we place within ourselves. âThe truth is much stronger than fiction.â
Track 4: âThe Feeling Never Diesâ slows down the album a bit and is most likely positioned for the listener to catch his or her breath while reflecting on loss and love in life. Lyrics like âIâve lost my mind / Nothing making sense.â will pull emotion out of even the whitest of trash. The song has some country rock twangs that evoke âKnockinâ On Heavenâs Doorâ by Guns Nâ Roses.
Track 5: âCradleâ begins with a get-up-and-destroy intro then gives way to an odd transition reminiscent of a lukewarm soft rock sound. âAlways always hateful / Crack the precious cradle / Money in the hand of masterminds / Payback from an insure decline.â The guitar solo by Keith Nelson is worth mentioning and is the saving grace *preach* of this track.
Track 6: âThe Madnessâ is another favorite of mine. It opens with an odd guitar tone that makes me feel like Iâm slow mo tripping balls in the middle of the desert. The heavily distorted guitar riff and snare beat are sensually paired. The lyrics are on point as well,  âIâve got two sides of me / You can beat theyâre enemies / Youâve got the good side / Then youâve got the madness.â If song melded together with video from a three night bender, it would be regarded as the pinnacle of art. At some point, monks begin chanting, causing the listener to do the same. I’m sure this convent of monks had a ball doing body shots with Buckcherry. âI must confess I really like the madness.â
Track 7: âWoodâ felt like an odd attempt to replicate their sexy sound for âCrazy Bitchâ. The overt references to an erect penis seem a bit overplayed. A few of the lines were funny though: âIf it gets any harder / Iâm gonna need some cold water.â There is a very Queen-esque like recitation of âWoodâ throughout the chorus, and again, Nelson saved the song with his short solo in the center of the song.
Track 8: âRainâs Fallingâ is a chill song with great sway rhythm to it. âI am ready to spend time with you / Are you ready?â My suggestion is to smoke out and enjoy the funky, blues slide guitar. âWhen I am away from you / Iâm flooded with emotion / Donât know what to do.â This time of year Orlando is known for itâs crummy and rainy weather. Put this song on and decompress while you stare out of your window into the dark skies, âSummer is drifting away.â
Track 9: If Iâm being completely honest âSex Appealâ was not too great. Buckcherry was going for their sexy hard rock sound again, but it seemed overwrought and warn out. The song didnât have any of the natural rock n’ roll sound they have become known for. I feel like this song was written on a whiteboard as opposed to a bar napkin or a pizza box found at a kick ass house party.
Track 10: âGet With Itâ was pretty disappointing too.I listened to it numerous times trying to find something worth value, but needless to say, that didnât happen.
I hate to say it, but other than a few songs (editors note: That is being very generous.), this album was shitty garbage. Rock ânâ Roll was most likely made to suffice some mortgage payments. Even the title is ridiculously simple! If Buckcherry would have put way more effort into this album, it might have been something to write home about. As it stands, Iâll put a few tracks in my playlists but I certainly won’t be putting up a Buckcherry Rock ânâ Roll poster in my bedroom anytime soon.
Album Review: ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ by Buckcherry by Martin Cardenas, edited by Matthew Weller.
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