Review Summary: At first listen, the album is unsatisfying and self-important. However, after repeated listening sessions, the music begins to grow on the listener.
Well, it’s finally here. After an entire summer filled with its reality TV show, Rock Star Supernova released their debut album on November 21.
All the ingredients are correct-- Tommy Lee, Gilby Clarke, and Jason Newsted. They’re all rock veterans, they know what’s up. They hand-picked their singer, Lukas Rossi, who has a distinct vocal style. It’s a great combination.
Then can someone please explain why this thing is an absolute train wreck?
Everything is wrong. Every single thing feels just plain wrong.
The album starts with “It’s On.” Good title, it hints at some sort of fighting anthem where skulls are a’ crackin’. Yeah, not so much. True, the instruments are pretty solid and relatively fast. But the vocals are just this belt-fest, where Rossi just howls for three minutes. During the TV show, he was criticized for not having enough range. Well, apparently he wants to prove that yes, he does. But come on, we don’t need the words “shine on” last any longer than two seconds.
“Leave the Lights On” was debuted on the TV show, and was sung by female contestant Dilana. So hearing the final, official version is hard to adjust to. Rossi is essentially talking in this baritone during each verse, but he does manage to shine during the chorus. The catch? His voice is layered by weird voices and it’s over-stylized. So it’s possible to hear him really using his voice, but it’s a struggle because it’s covered by so many different, unnecessary noises.
The biggest gripe with the whole album?
Gilby Clarke’s gratuitous, ill-placed, self-indulgent guitar solos in virtually every song. This becomes really noticeable in “Leave the Lights On.” Everything just stops just so Clarke can get some solo time. It’s ridiculous, and it happens all over this CD.
Rossi starts talking, not singing, again in “Be Yourself (and 5 Other Clichés).” The guitar sounds mind-numbingly simple, bass is nearly unnoticeable, yet Lee shines. This song manages to pull in an audience with a catchy chorus of “Hey Hey HEY! Ho Ho HO!” But then again, it sounds more like a rock star mating call than a rock anthem.
Now it’s time for the power ballad section of the album. Ushered in by “It’s All Love,” Rossi starts to sound like the man the audiences loved during the summer. Even though the song moves at a pace that rivals a tortoise, it has a catchy tune, and Rossi’s signature sound really gives it an edge. But stop. Guitar solo. Ok, continue.
“Can’t Bring Myself to Light This Fuse” is a disaster. It can’t be put any simpler. Rossi sounds like a little girl, the piano is almost as laughable as Rossi’s voice, and the lyrics are pathetic, like “I‘m broken/ so deadly/ you‘re just the one to fix it/ …Don‘t want to know if that‘s the last time I breathe you in.” Can this really come from a band that has members of Metallica in it? Just because the word “deadly” is thrown in amidst a piano tune doesn’t make it rock and roll, sorry.
They picked a good song to follow that disaster-- “Underdog.” The guitar riff is ingrained in anyone who watched the show’s mind. Clarke is trying to steal the show, of course, and it’s hard to pick out the surprisingly great bass line. Lee’s drumming is pretty unremarkable. Rossi’s voice is amazing, though. He shows his gritty side, and then he’s able to swing into a high register seamlessly without sounding ridiculous. Stop-- guitar solo. Wait for it to end… all right, moving on.
Tommy starts off the next song by banging on the drums and screaming “HEY LUKAS!” …Yeah, he’s in the band, good job, Tommy! “Make No Mistake… This is the Take” is dominated by a mind-blowing section that highlights the bass. Not surprisingly, an annoyingly high guitar note is played over the bass, because Clarke can’t step aside for a second. The riffs are relatively strong, but vocals and bass stand out. The title of the song, though…like, gag me.
“Headspin” is Rossi’s original song that he debuted on the TV show, and almost positively guaranteed his victory. It’s a driving rock song where he just kind of mumbles lyrics angrily and throws his heavily glittery-makeup-ed head around. It was pretty exciting.
However, the song was absolutely butchered on this album. It’s a mix between his original performance and his acoustic. It doesn’t work. Rossi sounds disgustingly flat. It was song written for his estranged mother, but the new lyrics on the CD just make it sound trite, like how he tries to growl “Did I ever mean something?” Shut up.
One of the biggest hang-ups about this album is the ridiculous lyrics. Honestly, it’s pathetic. “Valentine” is the best example of the worst lyrics. This song is filled with a bunch of words that are supposedly perceived as “edgy,” but it doesn’t come off as edgy when it sounds like misplaced fluff. Need an example? Well, it doesn’t get any worse than, “dangerous wonderful/ I’m so invisible!” Oh really? Then explain why you’re making millions of dollars and your picture is everywhere.
Stop. “Valentine” guitar solo. But not just any guitar solo-- the most self-indulgent session of the entire album. It’s not even that good.
Ok, continue.
Saving grace of the entire album-- “Social Disgrace.” Clarke actually gets some props here for having an exquisite guitar riff. Rossi employs the same vocal tactic he used for “Underdog,” where he sings low then swings into a higher voice, and it shows that he’s not just a gruff mumble-mouth like he was on the show. Rejoice SNL lovers, Lee gives us more cowbell! It’s a little odd, but the bell does make an impression. The lyrics aren’t trying too hard, they actually are edgy, with Rossi stating “this city will burn/ I won’t look back this time.”
Then comes the slap in the face.
For some reason, a church choir starts singing on the last song on the album. Why they’re there is anyone’s guess. It doesn’t add anything special to the song, because the song is called “The Dead Parade,” about people who go their own way. What on earth does a church choir have to do with this? Dumb lyrics return, with a melodramatic wailing of “my life is a roller coaster!” Again, shut up. Clarke remembers that it’s the last song on the album, so he smashes on about a minute of extra nonsense that doesn’t even sound decent or impressive. Rossi sounds good even if the lyrics are moronic, and Lee did a great job, just like on every other song on the album.
Tommy Lee’s solo album Tommyland: The Ride is exquisite, so it isn’t too far of a stretch to expect something in the same ball park. But Rock Star Supernova doesn’t even come close. Critics of Rossi pat producer Butch Walker on the back for butchering (pun intended) Rossi’s voice and making him sound more commercially viable.
But that was Rossi’s appeal. He didn’t sound like every guy on the street. He had a gritty sound, and he cared more about what he sounded like than how well he pronounced the lyrics. It takes some time to get used to his new sound, but after while it becomes relatively decent and not such a pain to hear.
Song titles are a catastrophe, too! They are so ill-timed. Chris Cornell just released a song entitled “Be Yourself.” Just because this CD adds “(And 5 Other Cliches)” doesn’t make it wildly different. “The Dead Parade” sounds way too similar to My Chemical Romance’s “The Black Parade,” even down to the lyrics used in to song.
Gilby Clarke single-handedly cheapened the entire album with his self-involved agenda. Everyone knows he can play guitar. He doesn’t have anything to prove.
But then again, he is “the other guy” from Guns ‘N’ Roses, because when the words “guitar” and “G’N’R” are paired, the names “Izzy” and “Slash” are the only ones mentioned. But talk to a therapist about that, don’t make the new fans of Rock Star Supernova want to box their own ears during every song.
Rock Star Supernova is one of those albums that must be listened to several times for the artistry to really be appreciated. At face value, it sounds like some commercial romp for a bunch of has-been rockers and one guy who just desperately wants to be rich and famous.
But in a society where we worship fast food, fast cash, and quick gratification, who has time to listen to the same thing over and over again just to start liking it?
