The Sparkle Lounge
If you read my blog, you know that I am a big fan of Bon Jovi. But there is another band which I am an equally big fan of -- the boys from Sheffield, England: Def Leppard. I've loved Leppard's music since 1983 when "Photograph" hit the airwaves and I've followed them ever since.
They released a new album today, Songs from the Sparkle Lounge and I was out the door at 7:00 a.m. to get it (one sure-fire way to get me out of bed is when a new Def Leppard album is released). This is their first studio album of all original material since 2002... and boy was it worth the wait! These guys never release a bad album. Then again, they take their own sweet time writing and recording, so every album should be great!
If you are a fan of '80's music, you really need to get this album. This band is far from dead. In fact, they are writing some of the best music of their long, illustrious career. No, they haven't had the big hits and popularity in recent years as their '80's counterparts, Bon Jovi; nor are their lyrics as personal as Bon Jovi's, but when it comes to songwriting and musicianship, Def Leppard is the best there is. And this album once again proves it.
This is the band's the third studio album since 1999 and I would argue that those three albums, Euphoria, X and Songs from the Sparkle Lounge are three of the best of their careers.
Sparkle Lounge is Def Leppard to the core with some surprises. Actually, their music may be a bit harder edged now than it was in 1987. From the opening track "Go," which is dark, pulsating and crunching, you can't help but move something... rather it be bang your head, tap your foot and move your booty. The song commands you to move. "Nine Lives" is the first single and it is a terrific, catchy pop-rock song. It features Tim McGraw and if you can get past the first verse, which is McGraw's solo, the rest of the song is outstanding (I'm not a major country music fan -- I would rather hear a fat woman fart than Tim McGraw sing). Many of the 11 songs are four minute gems and there are just too many good ones to pick a favorite, although I am partial at the moment to "C'mon, C'mon," "Hallucinate," "Only the Good Die Young" (which was written about band mate Steve Clark, who passed away in 1990. He would have been 48 years old last Wednesday), and "Tomorrow."
One of the standout tracks is "Love," an acoustic guitar-based tune, which builds into a Queen-style epic. It takes some turns that are very un-Def Leppard-esque, which is cool.
So today was a good day. Any day with new Def Leppard music is a good one.
They released a new album today, Songs from the Sparkle Lounge and I was out the door at 7:00 a.m. to get it (one sure-fire way to get me out of bed is when a new Def Leppard album is released). This is their first studio album of all original material since 2002... and boy was it worth the wait! These guys never release a bad album. Then again, they take their own sweet time writing and recording, so every album should be great!
If you are a fan of '80's music, you really need to get this album. This band is far from dead. In fact, they are writing some of the best music of their long, illustrious career. No, they haven't had the big hits and popularity in recent years as their '80's counterparts, Bon Jovi; nor are their lyrics as personal as Bon Jovi's, but when it comes to songwriting and musicianship, Def Leppard is the best there is. And this album once again proves it.
This is the band's the third studio album since 1999 and I would argue that those three albums, Euphoria, X and Songs from the Sparkle Lounge are three of the best of their careers.
Sparkle Lounge is Def Leppard to the core with some surprises. Actually, their music may be a bit harder edged now than it was in 1987. From the opening track "Go," which is dark, pulsating and crunching, you can't help but move something... rather it be bang your head, tap your foot and move your booty. The song commands you to move. "Nine Lives" is the first single and it is a terrific, catchy pop-rock song. It features Tim McGraw and if you can get past the first verse, which is McGraw's solo, the rest of the song is outstanding (I'm not a major country music fan -- I would rather hear a fat woman fart than Tim McGraw sing). Many of the 11 songs are four minute gems and there are just too many good ones to pick a favorite, although I am partial at the moment to "C'mon, C'mon," "Hallucinate," "Only the Good Die Young" (which was written about band mate Steve Clark, who passed away in 1990. He would have been 48 years old last Wednesday), and "Tomorrow."
One of the standout tracks is "Love," an acoustic guitar-based tune, which builds into a Queen-style epic. It takes some turns that are very un-Def Leppard-esque, which is cool.
So today was a good day. Any day with new Def Leppard music is a good one.
