Band:
Jaime St. James: Vocals
Shawn Sonnenschein: Guitars
Jeff "Woop" Warner: Guitars, keyboards
Patrick Young: Bass
Pete Holmes: Drums
Discography:
Black 'n Blue (1984)
Without Love (1985)
Nasty Nasty (1986)
In Heat (1988)
Guests:
Info
Produced by Jef “Woop” Warner
Released 13/5-2011
Reviewed 11/5-2011
This is a kind of hardrock, glam album which in style is quite typical to what VH1 usually plays at its rock show with boring music videos and so on. I don’t think they strive too far off the musical path that the genre sets up, they have catchy choruses, the kind of singer that is usually present in that kind of music, slightly whiny and high pitched. The songs are a mix of rockers, ballads, anthems and some more goofy tracks. There are fourteen of these tracks on the album and it takes close to 48 minutes to play through it.
Track one is called Monkey which of course is an opening rocker that has loads of energy and actually sets quite a good tone for the album, it opens in a positive manor. The next track is called Target and that is about all I can say about that track as I cannot recall it even though it is less than 20 minutes since I heard it last. Track three is called Hail Hail and it is a celebration to rock’n’roll a good such I would say as the track is really good. Track four is Fools Bleed and it is a rather good ballad even though I think it is somewhat ruined by the fact that the singer doesn’t have the voice to really carry it. Track six is one of those goofy tracks and is just not interesting, it has nothing at all to bring to the album.
I think what is said about the tracks in the paragraph before is quite indicative of the album itself, it is very much up and down, not cohesive, and at times rather confusing. It is hard to get through this album without needing to go back a track or so just to remind yourself where you are and what was, the album keeps loosing me and my interest due to the nature of the music being so incomprehensible. It has the feel of a compilation and not an album, I think albums need to have some common denominator so that it feels like the songs belong and on this album there is just nothing like that and sometimes you start wondering if you even play the right album.
Even with these problems there are some good stuff and besides those I have already mentioned as good there is also track seven Angry Drunk Son of a Bitch which is a song that feels just like you expect a track from a band in this genre and it is good as well. The thirteenth track is another one worthy of mention with its nice feel and everything, then there is a quite funny goofy track that ends this album in a nice and funny blokish way, but not in a homoerotic way.
Speaking of homoerotic, listen to track eleven Candy, sounds really gay.
In the end though I can say that there is no Hell Yeah! for this band, I don’t think it sucks awfully bad either though, so no Hell No! either which is not that good since I cannot use a good ending line based on the title or bandname here which is something I look to do when the album has a funny name or the band has it. But this album is not Hell No! it is not Hell Yeah! but I just figured out the right ending line for this album, this album by Black ‘N Blue: Hell alright! (but a little towards the not so good area.)
HHHHHHH
