keepers - 6
keeper avg .462
"Dumb Love" is a logical opening rocker, though it sounds like recycled "Sex Type Thing". "Coma", which sounds like a Velvet Revolver outtake, is hard-rocking but also pretty blah except for the stuttering guitar effect, but sandwiched between the two is "Days of the Week"****, a jangly throwback to Tiny Music. Thanks for the musical whiplash, guys. "Black Again"**** manages to swing and rock, while "Too Cool Queenie"**** has the melody and almost the complexity of XTC. "Regeneration"**** and "Bi-Polar Bear"**** may be more examples of recycling eastern music via Led Zeppelin, which has long been old hat for STP, but they're better-executed than the hammy earlier examples, such as "Lounge Fly" from Purple. While closer "Long Way Home"**** is another sludgy exercise in Zep plagiarism, a surprisingly melodic chorus and blasting guitar solo from DeLeo counter the weight; while derivative, at least DeLeo nails Page's unconventional style and voicing perfectly. Though there is some more recycling ("Hollywood Bitch") and a couple lame ballads ("Wonderful" and "Hello It's Late"), it's not too shabby for an album 9 years and several trips to rehab after hitting it big.
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