*Review originally appeared at my former site rock-is-life.com
What’s the 4-1-1?
Latest album from the eighties rock legend that brought you “Jessie’s Girl”. If you still don’t know who he is, ask your parents.
Genre
Rock / classic rock / AOR / melodic
The Good
“ Perfect”, about a love that’s not so, starts things off with a clean guitar intro that endures throughout the track. Rick’s vocals haven’t changed much over the years. They’re still raspy yet melodic. You can’t miss the catchy chorus of “I’ll Make You Happy” or the first single “Will I?” If you’re looking for that classic Rick Springfield sound, these two are crowning examples. “God Gave You to Everyone” elicits a clap-along vibe with its commanding guitar and passionate vocals. Rick expresses his frustration with his woman’s addiction problem on “Idontwantanythingfromyou”. Warm keyboard tones and an electronic drumbeat underscores this one.
You have to love the main lyric of “Jesus Saves”: Jesus Saves white trash like you. The beat sounds a little like Led Zeppelin’s “Cashmere”. Speaking of which, “Beautiful You” is lead by a classic Springfield riff that’s reminisant of “Louie Louie”. It’s a catchy little number that has Rick exploring a slight falsetto. Simply put, “Wasted” is about a whore with squandered potential, and contracting an “Alien Virus” must have been what causes her behavior. Rick branches out a bit in music style on “Eden” by employing some reggae guitar tones. He brings this tone back on “My Depression”, and adds a little 70s funk to it. The vocal delivery is similar to Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire”.
The Bad
A lot more religious references than I expected from Rick Springfield.
The Verdict
Twenty years ago Rick Springfield wrote simple but memorable songs about love, women, feelings, and relationships, and twenty years later little has changed. Rick’s songs still have the same themes, but now they’re not so simple. On his latest album (and the last couple), Rick Springfield has shown that he has matured as musician by writing songs that are more about content. He really forces you to think about what he’s saying, and backs it up with addictive music to boot.
Did you know?
There is a 3 CD Limited Edition (3500) version of SDAA available exclusively through http://www.rickspringfield.com In addition to the studio release, it features a disc of unreleased and demo tracks spanning Rick’s career, and a DVD that chronicles the making of SDAA and more.
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