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I streamed the entire album upon its release and initially decided to pass on buying it, as I was not thrilled with the extreme pop influence found on the entire record. Which is really saying something when it’s only 2:50 long. The first single, “Heavy,” featured a guest vocal by a pop singer I’d never heard of and I couldn’t even make it through the entire song the first time I tried listening to it.
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Unfortunately, things went in the complete opposite direction. I fully understand that they tend to evolve from album to album, but still hoped that they would retain their rediscovered rock element. Having regained my interest with their heavy 2014 album The Hunting Party, Linkin Park had me looking forward to more new music from them. I look forward to what she does next and hope to catch her live again some day. It’s great to see Michelle back in action, and I actually got to see her live for the very first time on July 10, 2017. The album loses a little steam after that, but does have a strong closer in “City.” Two of my favorite songs on the album are near the end, as the back to back run of “Not A Love Song” and “Last Night” deserve more attention. “Temporary Feeling” is another more uptempo track. “Living A Lie” picks up the pace a little before another highlight of the album, “Knock Yourself Out,” pops up with its reserved verses and soaring chorus. The strong start to the album continues with “You’re Good,” “Fault Line,” and “Heartbreak Now.” The first single was the title track, which was off-putting at first due to its modern-alternative sound (which I hate), but once it gets past the intro, it sounds more like Michelle and is a very enjoyable track with a very… alluring lead vocal. The opener “Best You Ever” sets the tone for the new sound, which still sounds like Michelle of course. Much like I have, she has grown up a lot since her last record and it shows on this album. Finally in 2017, she returned with a new band and a new, modern sound. She last released a pop-rock solo album in 2003 ( Hotel Paper) and her 2001 major label debut ( The Spirit Room) is a pop-rock classic that is deeply rooted in high school nostalgia for me. Of course I still have a crush on her, but I also appreciate her musical chops… Country aside. Now that I’m in my early 30’s, I have no shame in my love for her. Michelle Branch was somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me in my mid-teens. The raunchiness will always be front and center, but these guys are excellent musicians and performers and that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Steel Panther has once again turned in a solid effort that lives up to their standards for delivering a good time. The deluxe edition of the album features two bonus tracks, “Red Headed Step Child” and “Momentary Epiphany,” both solid tracks but weaker than anything on the regular album. The standard album is rounded out by “I Got What You Want,” “Walk Of Shame,” and a cover of Cheap Trick’s “She’s Tight” that features Robin Zander on backup vocals. And it leads nicely into my favorite track on the album, the oh-so-true “Pussy Ain’t Free.” Equally true is “Wasted Too Much Time,” which I’ll happily dedicate to my ex. “Now The Fun Starts” shows the band stretching their wings a bit, trying out a slightly darker sound than you’ll hear on the first three albums and it works quite well. And its music video was debuted on none other than PornHub! Steel Panther’s 2016 live acoustic album Live From Lexxi’s Mom’s Garage featured a stripped down version of ‘That’s When You Came In,” which is featured in all its electric glory here. The best song title on the album is, without question, “Poontang Boomerang,” which is also one of the best songs on the album. Lead single “Anything Goes” follows, which is a good track though it’s pretty standard for their singles on recent albums. The album kicks off with “Goin’ In The Backdoor,” one of many highlights on the disc. The album continues with the over the top, raunchy, hilarious lyrics perfectly meshed with some of the catchiest rock songs you’ll ever hear.
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Less than three years after their third studio album, 2014‘s excellent All You Can Eat, Steel Panther returned with their fourth record, Lower The Bar.
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The winner will be posted on the Album Of The Year page on December 31, 2017. 2017, however, featured the return of a few of my favorite artists, a couple of surprises, and more tragedy. For the third year in a row, one of the Album Of The Year contenders lost a key member of the band. Following two very busy years in music, 2016 saw things slow down just a tad.