ALICE COOPER - Road
September 1, 2023, a year ago
(earMUSIC)
At 75 years of age, Alice Cooper still admirably puts on a hell of a live show – I can speak from firsthand experience when I saw him absolutely blow Mötley Crüe off the stage (on what was inaccurately billed as their ‘final tour’) a few years back.
But what about musically? Alice’s 22nd studio effort overall (!), Road, sees the shock rock granddaddy teamed once more with distinguished producer Bob Ezrin (who oversaw Alice’s best and most successful ‘70s albums), plus appearances by several special guests.
And it turns out that the tunes that feature guests are the best of the bunch – including Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello (“White Line Frankenstein”) and the MC5’s Wayne Kramer (“Rules Of The Road”), as well as a composition that was penned by Cooper, Ezrin, and Alice’s touring band, “Welcome To The Show.” But elsewhere, it sounds as if the Coop is merely going through the motions or being a tad too predictable – especially the album opener, “I’m Alice.”
But let’s give credit where credit’s due – Alice’s voice still sounds unmistakably like Alice (something that many other rock singers at his age simply cannot claim), and we should appreciate that he’s still rocking strong in his seventh musical decade.
