ALICE COOPER
The Eyes Of Alice Cooper
Eagle Records
Geez, this is a tough one. Half of the original pop-shock-rocker’s latest is a potent wallop but the bad stuff is really horrendous! Let’s start with the bad. “Between High School And Old School” just sounds like an old guy trying to be cool and “Love Should Never Feel Like This” is a power ballad that should’ve never, ever crawled out of 1988! It doesn’t get much worse than those two. The rest of the disc is much better. Featuring occasional KISS drummer Eric Singer and ex-Jellyfish collaborator Eric Dover, the band manages to rock in a punkish, (dare I say) “garage-ish” manor for most of it! “I’m So Angry” kicks hard while “Backyard Brawl” falls somewhere between Sweet and Marilyn Manson. Surprisingly, some of the songs here measure up to Cooper classics. For example, the rootsy “Novocaine” would’ve fit right into the Muscle Of Love album. My favorites here are the oddities. Back in the mid-‘70s, Cooper sandwiched bizarre, cheesy but creepy tunes onto Welcome To My Nightmare and Alice Cooper Goes To Hell in between the anthems. Here, he returns to that sound with “This House Is Haunted,” which could be one of the coolest things he’s ever done. It’s probably the scariest, most delusional song he’s done since “Steven.” I also dig the industry prodding “The Song That Didn’t Rhyme.” Unfortunately, Alice is caught between two worlds. The leather clad middle-aged rockers who still buy his records won’t like the interesting, quirky songs and the ones who would appreciate them won’t give Alice a chance. Sure, Cooper has done his share of Trash but the man is still making some fun and adventurous rock. Bottom line: The Eyes Of Alice Cooper, like the rest of his career, is a mixed bag.
Chris McKay / concertshots.com