Review Summary: Yet another inconsistent album from Warrant, this time full of covers.
This time Warrant needed five years to release a follow-up to a decent, but passable,
Belly to Belly. Not so long after the previous alternative rock-oriented album was out, glam metal began to crawl out from the shadows and regain some of the popularity among a wide audience that had overdosed on despair and gloominess of grunge. Many 80s bands of varying degrees of success were invited on tours again, and some of them even released new records for the first time after years of inactivity. Of course, the scope and level of popularity was not the same, but it is better than nothing.
As for Warrant, the whole time they remained afloat. They kept touring more or less successfully, which can be proved by their live album,
Warrant Live 1986-1997. A couple of years after that, they released compilation
Greatest & Latest, which contained re-recorded versions of the main hits with three previously unreleased songs. Generally speaking, it seemed the band and their leader, Jani Lane, were experiencing writer’s block. It was like there was nothing else they could say creatively (even to the extent of their talents), so they chose to rest on their earlier laurels. And arguably,
Under the Influence confirms this thought, as it consists of cover versions with two originals tucked at the end.
Certainly, Warrant decided to release this album pursuing financial interests and wanting to remind remaining fans of their existence. This explains why all the covers included on the record are done the standard way – the band members’ (presumably) favorite songs were simply re-recorded using more up-to-date equipment and without any attempts to experiment or leave their own stamp. And, as usually the case, people familiar with the originals are not exactly thrilled at the opportunity to listen to such a take (why do they need to listen to cover versions when they can always enjoy the source material?). However, the band should be given its due – the tracks presented on the album come from both more famous performers and partially forgotten, underappreciated ones. Hence, together with
AC/DC,
Queen,
David Bowie and
Aerosmith, we have
Nazareth,
Thin Lizzy,
Badfinger,
Cheap Trick, and
Michael Monroe of
Hanoi Rocks. Also, not all the songs are worn-out hits; more often, it is the other way around. This is definitely a plus.
The fact that covers are practically identical to the originals without any stabs at making them their own is the main minus here. Even in terms of execution, the songs are hit and miss. As such Thin Lizzy’s
Hollywood, Michael Monroe’s
Dead, Jail and Rock ‘n’ Roll and David Bowie’s
Suffragette City can be called the most successful covers. They are performed with cheer and energy, and the right amount of eagerness, braggadocio and irony where necessary. Queen’s
Tie Your Mother Down, Cheap Trick’s
Surrender and AC/DC’s
Down Payment Blues are solid, but not really outstanding. And Aerosmith’s
Toys in the Attic, Nazareth’s
Hair of the Dog and Badfinger’s
Come and Get It are disappointing: on the first two, Jani Lane doesn’t measure up to the original performers in terms of liveliness and attitude, while the latter employs too much phaser, making the vocals difficult to understand. Plus, the guitar on the two former songs is somewhat muddled and jumbled, which is especially noticeable on the fun “quacking” solo from
Hair of the Dog.
As for the two new songs, again, they are nothing to write home about
:
Sub Human is a standard track in the style reminiscent of the two previous albums, and the ballad
Face is also typical fare without any distinguishing qualities.
It must already be clear that
Under the Influence is pretty much a standard Warrant album with everything that entails. The performances are competent and decent, but do not include anything that would allow us to raise it above average. The only truly notable thing is the fact that this LP was the last one for Jani Lane. In 2004, he quit the band and did not participate in recording of subsequent albums.
