Artist:  Warrant
   Title: Rockaholic
   Label: Frontiers Records
 

Well the world of Warrant has been that of many ups and downs including various line-up changes and changes in direction, but I’m glad to say the band are back, and back with a new album to boot.

So what about the vocalist I here you ask, well in 2008 one Robert Mason of Lynch Mob and Cry Of Love replaced Jamie St James, who at the time was currently working on the new Black n' Blue album (which saw light of day earlier this year), and along with original members Jerry Dixon, Erik Turner, Joey Allen and Steven Sweet, bring back the bands Hard Rock sound with what I think is the bands best album since ‘Dirty Rotten …’ and ‘Cherry Pie’.

'Rockaholic' is down right gritty Hard Rock with a punch and in Mason they have found the perfect frontman to take the band back to those heady days of the late eighties.  With fourteen outstanding rock anthems behind it, 'Rockaholic' is the album the fans of the band have been waiting for, for far too many years.

Things get underway with ‘Sex Ain’t Love’ and from the off you realise this is Warrant as we all remember.  It's down right dirty, groove filled Hard Rock, led by Mason’s great vocal.  I haven’t been this impressed since I first heard Johnny Solinger on the Skid Rock album 'Thickskin'.

The hard rockin’ tunes just keep on coming with ‘Innocence Gone' and the rock n' roll rumble that is ‘Snake’, before we get a little bluesy with the excellent ‘Dusty’s Revenge’.  A real slow burner where Mason once again shows why he was the right man for the job.

The slow burning rockers continue with the ballad ‘Home’ this is the band at their best, who can forget the likes of 'Heaven' and ‘Sometimes She Cries’, this one has that same sort of vibe, almost verging of Power Ballad status.

We go back to the bluesy rock with the excellent ‘What Love Can Do’ and the stellar ‘Life’s A Song’, before really rockin’ it up again with the thumping ‘Show Must Go On’ and the express rock of ‘Cocaine Freight Train’.  The latter really rocking big style.

The tempo is brought down a touch again with a superlative ballad ‘Found Forever’.  The rich harmonies of this one will melt the hardest of hearts, a real gem here from Mason.  The band really mix things up on this album and so its back to the groove filled bluesy rock with ‘Candy Man’ and modern edgy rock of ‘Sunshine’.

The band take full advantage of Mason’s great vocal with another excellent ‘Tears In The City’, before closing the album off with another great rocker in ‘The Last Straw’, which is simply the icing on the cake.  I’ve said it before but this really is the best Warrant album in years and a great return to form.  Let's hope we don’t have to wait too long for a follow up and perhaps even a tour!

Tracklisting:

1. Sex Ain't Love
2. Innocence Gone
3. Snake
4. Dusty's Revenge
5. Home
6. What Love Can Do Life's A Song
7. Show Must Go On
8. Cocaine Freight Train
9. Found Forever
10. Candy Man
11. Sunshine
12. Tears In The City
13. The Last Straw 

                  

 

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