Review Summary: Rock N Roll is probably not much of a surprise to some, but damn it I was hoping it was going to be.
Buckcherry are one of those rock bands that keep doing what they should, releasing albums every few years to please their hardcore fan base. This kind of commitment should be respected and like clockwork the Los Angeles natives have returned with their seventh album; Rock N Roll. Buckcherry are at an interesting point in their careers in which they don’t have to please anyone that doesn’t already like them, however critically they rarely seems to string two solid releases together in a row. For instance their debut self titled album Buckcherry was solid, whilst their sophomore release Time Bomb was lacklustre. In 2006 they released their best album 15 and recently released the very questionable EP ***; proving they are capable of anything. These reasons is what makes Rock N Roll such an interesting album, it might in fact be another hit rather than a miss.
For starters Rock N Roll could not have had a more generic title, but it does; which doesn’t bode well for the rest of the album. The record opens quite well with the first two tracks ‘Bring It On Back’ and ‘Tight Pants.’ ‘Bring It On Back’ has a minor build up before Josh Todd’s infectious vocal croons enter over the canvas of an old school rocking affair. The song begins with the chorus, before simmering back down for a verse until the semi-ferocious chorus returns. The song feels quite natural as well, which is refreshing not to hear a decent song ruined by over production. The next track ‘Tight Pants’ is another solid rocker, besides its obvious dose of Buckcherry sexuality. ‘Tight Pants’ is a mid-tempo rocker that infuses a horn section with a solid guitar riff, which really gives it an extra dimension and making it quite funky. A solo is also thrown in for good measure and if you can look past the lyrics, the song is quite infectious. Another solid moment on Rock N Roll is the slower ballad, ‘Rain’s Falling’ where Todd’s vocals really shine. The light guitar plucks and drumming sounds like something you might find in the back of a New York club, whilst enjoying a candlelit dinner.
These obvious highlights from the record beg the question; if Buckcherry are capable of writing fantastic songs; why can’t they do it for an entire record? Like many modern rock bands this identity crisis is what can restrict and hinder bands from ever truly achieving something extraordinary. For example the album was rolling along nicely and there was no blatantly ridiculously offensive or childish song in sight, until ‘Wood’ came on. Now, if you had any idea of Buckcherry’s history you can probably already what this song is about. I’m not saying these kind of songs aren’t funny or worthy of being created, but I think its definitely about time Buckcherry out grew it and should’ve put it to bed after they nailed it with Crazy Bitch’. The song ‘Wood’ ruins any chance of this album being taken seriously, which is unfortunate because the song after it ‘Rain’s Falling’ is quite delightful. Apart from these few songs there is no much left on the album to sink your teeth into.
Buckcherry sticks to their distinct blend modern rock on album number seven; for better or worse. There’s that old saying you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but it seems where Buckcherry do try to experiment or change their sound up for the better, immediately afterwards they find themselves regressing again. Songs like ‘Bring It On Back’, ‘Tight Pants’ and ‘Rain’s Falling’ provide some highlights for the record, which is a shame the rest of the album couldn’t do the same. Overall Rock N Roll is probably not much of a surprise to some, but damn it I was hoping it was going to be.
