Mr Vincent Furnier needs no further presentation except for two words: Alice Cooper. An icon. A legend. The fact that a guy in his mid 70’s is still relevant is really impressing. It’s also impressing that someone his age refuses to sit idle and become a nostalgia act – hello Kiss and Mötley Crüe. Thing is, despite knowing that albums doesn’t really bring in the green anymore, The Coop refuses to not create. He needs to. It’s in his DNA. So albums keep on coming – sometimes they’re great, sometimes more uneven – ever so often no matter if it’s as a solo artist or as a member of his hobby-band Hollywood Vampires. And he tours. A lot. His latest effort is out but apparently another album with a different angle is in the making as I write this. Respect to The Coop.
Opener and leading single “I’m Alice” – co-written by Swedes Kee Marcello (Easy Action, Europe, Out Of This World) and Anders Fästader (Great King Rat) – comes storming out as a classic Alice Cooper track hidden in some vault since the mid 70’s with all the Coop ingredients there are. It’s a dirty, crunchy rocker – an introduction to the man himself – with a slight spice of “Elected” inserted for good measure. A kicking rhythm, raw-edged guitars and a spicy organ blends with strong, catchy melodies and a hooky as hell chorus. I mean, if you don’t hum that chorus after one listen an ear check-out might be needed. I think it’s splendid.
“Welcome To The Show” – a future live-opener? – is edgy and rough-edged, a little punkish even, with a live-friendly approach built by an early 70’s look-back and I can really hear Bob Ezrin’s input here. It holds a punchy groove and a good dose of attitude with an easily recognizable classic Coop main melody and a direct and concise chorus. Good one. “All Over The World” continues the shape that its predecessor came up with albeit with a more Rock’n’Roll outlook. Honky tonk keys and a horn-section over raunchy guitars and a bouncy, foot-stomping beat with a classic Alice melody hook and a party-friendly refrain. Good stuff.
Latest single “Dead Don’t Dance” holds a darker and more sinister structure with some metal-fueled riffage and a heavy rhythm but that said it’s also filled with 70’s Classic Rock twists all over the place with bluesier elements. It’s one groovy gut-punch with some infectious melodies taken from Coop’s late 80’s. The chorus is catchy as hell, impossible to get rid of. Great. “Go Away” is sleazier and quite dirty sounding and blends early 70’s Classic Rock with some more garage-rock flirts here and there. It’s straight-ahead, up-tempo, gritty and quite ballsy with a striking chorus that hits right in the jugular. I think it’s great.
On a rowdy riff the edgy and groove-pleasing single “White Line Frankenstein” kicks off on a energetic and lively rhythm with some hard-edged guitars. It’s on the heavier side yet still loose enough for some live partying. It brings back the old Alice Cooper when Alice Cooper was a band style-wise with a kick-ass refrain that makes me smile. Very good. On a typical dirty Coop tongue-in-cheek mode “Big Boots” comes on swinging and stomping on a juicy groove that could make a paralyzed person dance. It’s a 70’s Glam Rock stomper with raunchy guitars and a honk-piano and the melody-hooks are everywhere. The chorus – “baby got boots, she got big boots” – might be sleaze overkill for a man in his mid 70’s, quite ridiculous actually but I find myself humming it afterwards, slightly embarrassed by myself… It’s a great tune despite the lyrics.
“Rules Of The Road” opens with a chunky bass-intro but it soon takes the road of simplicity. It’s a straight forward Hard Rock stomper with Classic Rock inserts, very in-your-face and direct. It’s uptempo and concise where Alice decides to just rock out without any bull. At first it came off as a bit standard but it grows on you. “The Big Goodbye” takes another shot at going for some metal-fused inserts with a dark and aggressive outlook. I can even sense as light nod back to his Brutal Planet (2000) days. Hard and muscular, the song also brings in some Bob Ezrin sized arrangements, classic Hard Rock for the 70’s and a melodic main melody with a brilliant chorus that sniffs around Alice’s 80’s. A stellar tune.
Alice covers himself in “Road Rats Forever”, a rewrite of his old tune “Road Rats” from Lace And Whiskey (1977). It’s a glammed up 70’s smelling Classic Rock belter with an enormous groove. Organ, piano, swinging guitar riffs, chunky and crisp bass-lines and a beefy drum beat with a stunningly catchy main melody. The chorus is a monster. The song was a winner in 1977 and it is a winner now. The Coop & co. brings us a bonafide Classic Rock ballad in the moody and emotional “Baby Please Don’t Go”. There’s a slight Rolling Stones touch in the song too. The tender and tear-jerking verses contrasts brilliantly with the slicker chorus that flirts shamelessly with late 80’s power balladry and the hook is glistening. Brilliant.
“100 More Miles” continues the more laid-back structure and this slow-burner is both darkening and held-back but with all the Coop trademarks in the vocal melodies. The Beatles-esque dramatic soundscape also brings life to the song and you get the feeling of a lonesome rocker wanting to go home. It’s a good tune that really gets under my skin. The album closes with a cover of The Who’s “Magic Bus”. Featuring a sweaty drum-solo as a tribute to Keith Moon, the song is also a good, juicy stomper with an intense groove. It’s crowd friendly and live-perfect with a good, distinct drive and a passionate performance.
In a day and age when few people actually buy physical copies it have to be great to be Alice Cooper. As album sales means very little, if anything at all, a guy like him can do pretty much what the hell he wants. Kinda like he did in the 70’s. And that’s what he does. Sure the quality of his albums in later years has been somewhat up and down. Albums like Welcome 2 My Nightmare (2011) and Paranormal (2017) showed an artist on a creative high with lots of ideas while his last record Detroit Stories (2021) had Alice running on empty for the big part. This album sounds like Alice having fun – and looking back. Think of that what you will. Old artists will always take punches – either you’re only doing the same old thing or you’re too modern. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. This album is Alice sounding like Alice, the way he did in the 70’s and as the album’s lowest level is pretty high, that’s good enough for me.
7/10
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Tracklist:
1. I’m Alice
2. Welcome To The Show
3. All Over The World
4. Dead Don’t Dance
5. Go Away
6. White Line Frankenstein
7. Big Boots
8. Rules Of The Road
9. The Big Goodbye
10. Road Rats Forever
11. Baby Please Don’t Go
12. 100 More Miles
13. Magic Bus
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