Solinger

REVIEW: Skid Row – Revolutions Per Minute (2006)

Scan_20160614SKID ROW – Revolutions Per Minute (2006)

Skid Row did a pretty good job of replacing the irreplaceable Sebastian Bach on their fourth LP, Thick Skin.  It earned a more than healthy 4.25/5 stars, in part due to the charismatic vocals of Johnny Solinger.  For their second album with Johnny, they re-teamed with producer Michael Wagener, but had mixed results in repeating the magic.

Revolutions Per Minute is heavy enough; there was no issue of the band going soft.  There was a dip in quality from the songwriting department, strongly dominated by bassist/leader Rachel Bolan.  Strangely, they chose to pad out the album with a cover (The Alarm’s “Strength”) and a remix.  It’s worrisome when the best song is a cover.  There’s a distinct pop-punk vibe on many songs, which one has to trace back to Bolan.  Dave “Snake” Sabo has two co-writes, and Scotti Hill a mere one.

“Disease” is very Skid Row, nothing outstanding, but a strong enough way to open the album.  The punk-like “Another Dick in the System” is better.   With Solinger scraping the ceiling with his screamy high notes, it’s reminiscent of old Skid Row circa Slave to the Grind.  “Pulling My Heart Out from Under Me” follows with an 80’s Elvis Costello vibe to the guitars.  This one is quite a departure from Bach-era Skid Row, and a decade later I’m still not sure if I like it.  You can’t fault a band for experimenting, but if the results aren’t good enough, that’s a tough call.  I’m not sure if “Pulling My Heart Out from Under Me” is good enough.  The worst of the punk influenced songs is “White Trash”, which is so indescribably bad that I won’t even try.  It’s not funny and not good.  Back to something that sounds like Skid Row, “Nothing” is one of those tunes that you could imagine was written in 1988 for the debut album.

Scan_20160614 (2)Influences collide on “When God Can’t Wait”.  Johnny Solinger is a country guy, and Rachel Bolan is a punk guy.  It seems 1+1 does indeed =2, and the sum total of punk and country is rockabilly.  I have to admit to liking this one, even though I’m still not sure if it’s any good.  I definitely prefer it to the next tune, “Shut Up Baby, I Love You” which doesn’t have much going for it aside from the full-metal tempo.

Strangely, the best original song is “You Lie” which begins as nothing but pure country.  Only after the twangy guitar solo does it accelerate into rock territory, but it’s the country part that rules.  The final track is a “Corn Fed” remix, which adds slides, harmonica and accoutrements.  At least that ends the album on a good notes.  The CD does start to drag a bit with two lacklustre songs, “Love is Dead” and “Let it Ride”, so the remix of “You Lie” is a smart way to end it.

You get the feeling that Skid Row had potential for a great album, but only came up with enough good songs for an EP.

2/5 stars

REVIEW: Skid Row – Thickskin (2003)

SKID ROW – Thickskin (2003 Skid Row Records)

Thickskin came out in 2003, a full 8 years since their last record.  They’d been through a lot, including firing their charismatic lead singer.  Sebastian Bach was one hell of a frontman with a voice to be envied.  In was Johnny Solinger, the little-known frontman of Texas band Solinger.  Could they gel as a band, and put out a decent record?

Yes, they could and did.

THICKSKIN_0004Solinger only has one writing credit on Thickskin, leaving the majority of the writing to Rachel Bolan and Snake Sabo  That pair wrote much of Skid Row’s older material anyway, and the sound does not stray far from classic Skid Row. Thickskin sounds like a natural followup to the excellent Subhuman Race, though less twisted and exploratory.  Where Solinger succeeds is in continuing to sing in the Skid Row style. He doesn’t stray too far from the blueprint, although his voice does not have the power of Bach’s.  He still throws in the shrieks in the right places, the roughness, the toughness, and the expressiveness.  If only he’d avoided those Nickelcrap-sounding moments on “Swallow Me”, but hey, he didn’t write the song.

Song-wise, we have an album here that comes pretty close to Subhuman Race in quality. There are those who prefer early Skid Row, when they were more hard rock and less dark heavy alterna-rock.  That’s fair — but be forewarned, this album won’t turn you around.  I find that very few weak songs blemish the album, and even the weak songs have pretty strong choruses.

My favourites include “Ghost” (killer chorus!), “Born A Beggar” (even better chrorus!), “Thick Is The Skin” (the sort of speedy metal that Skid Row did on Slave to the Grind), and “See You Around” (a sort-of ballad that reminds me of “I Remember You”).  Most controversial of all was “I Remember You Two”.  This remake is more a re-imagining of the hit ballad as a fast punk rocker.  And it works!  Try to listen to it as if you don’t even know the original song exists.  It’s fun if you can accept it.

Impressive also-rans include “One Light” (another ballad) and “Hittin’ A Wall” which is pure speed and aggression.  Solinger succeeds at pulling off both extremes.  He also pulls of the more grungy styled lead vocal on the opening verse of the title track, a Weiland-esque moment.  He’s versatile enough to do the job.

One complaint:  the lame-o cover art.  When Baz was in the band, his father David Bierk provided some pretty wild paintings.  This cover is lifeless, not even barely hinting at the rock and roll thunder within.

I have to give this album a solid:

4.25/5 stars

It’s the best of the Solinger era, and the song “Born A Beggar” still makes my road tapes 10 years later.

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