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Track Listing
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· Bittersweet (3)
· Loaded Gun
· Raine
· Strange Sensation
· Songs Of Life (1)
· Forgiveness (2)
· It's My Party
· War Machine
· I Remember
· One More Day
(*) Best Tracks
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Discography
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· Letter From Death Row
· Songs Of Life
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Buy it if you liked:
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Poison - Hollyweird
Shameless - Splashed
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Line Up
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· Bret Michaels: Vocals
· Cliff Calabro, Christy Calabro, Bret Michaels, Mark Castrillon: Guitar
· Jeremy Rubolino: Keyboards
· Cliff Calabro, Reynaldo Felico: Drums
· Cliff, Christy, Jeremy: Bass
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BRET MICHALES
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Songs Of Life
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Indie
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· Produced By: Bret Michaels & Cliff Calabro
· Running Time: · Genre: Melodic Rock
· Release Date: Out Now · Released: US
· WebLink: Bret Michaels
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Now I know why the latest Poison album was so average. Bret saved all the best songs for himself.
This album is everything most Poison fans were probably looking for from Hollyweird and I have bno doubt that this will be much better received.
That is unless it isn't bootlegged out of commercial viability before it's release.
Bret has sold this pre-release version of his debut solo album via his website, no art work or real packaging. Now he is saying a full release won't come until first quarter 2003, with the possible addition of new tracks and re-worked versions of tracks included here.
That may be a good thing, as the only minus point with this album is the production. While it doesn't come close to the all too loose sound of Hollyweird, it doesn't match a major label budget either.
Not to worry, at least the songs have a lot of energy.
The style of this collection of 10 song sis varied. Some of it retains the punky pop vibe of the recent album, some of it has the good fun feel of the early days, some of the songs have that great 'storyteller' pop rock ballad vibe to them. A song or two even tries something new. But all of the songs could have been classic Poison.
Bittersweet is a loose, uptempo punk styled rocker that mirrors classic Poison with the more modern vibe of the latest album. Great tongue in cheek lyrics and a good fun song. Better hook than many of the Poison album tracks.
Loaded Gun isn't as cool as the opening track. It's a heavier track with a dark guitar sound, but a typical Poison chorus. Not bad, but not as catchy.
Raine is one of those tracks that Bret can just nail - the heartfelt, acoustic driven uptempo rock song that is both angst and rock n roll. Good lyrics, good hooks and a solid vocal.
Strange Sensation is one of those tracks trying something new. The vocals are melodic as expected, but the guitar approach is somewhat punk influenced and could have been another off-cut from Hollyweird. Strong chorus line making it another ok track.
Songs Of Life is another uptempo acoustic rocker with an excellent bridge and chorus hook, making the song one of the album's best, if not the best.
Forgiveness continues the acoustic theme - this time a little slower in pace. The song features another very strong chorus and is another of the album's great tracks. The last two tracks benefit from a strong production.
It's My Party is another track with a new theme. It's dark and moody, with a fairly average tuned down guitar sound. A bit of a throw away rocker - another possible Hollyweird candidate.
War Machine has a horrible production - it's muddy and distorted. maybe that's the way it's supposed to be, as the track is a 'fuzz pop' modern rocker. Also features a horrible chorus hook and is easily the album's worst track. Hopefully this will be one track to go...
I Remember is much better. This bluesy rocker swaggers along with the attitude of early Poison tracks and should appeal to long time fans. Features another strong chorus and some tasty harmonica.
One More Day is the track Hollyweird didn't have - the big lighter-in-the-air acoustic ballad. A good song with another strong vocal performance.
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The Bottom Line
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I think Bret's forte in 2002 should be the acoustic driven love song. Uptempo rocker, or soft ballad, this is where he excels and this during these songs when Songs Of Life sounds at it's best.
This particular version of the album suffers from too varied style and production qualities, but definitely makes up ground for classic Poison fans that might have been disappointed with Hollyweird.
I'll be interested to see what make up the final version has. Certainly potential here for several tracks.
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