A lyrically over-the-top, melodic and anthemic party ride.
Fourth album in and Steel Panther show no signs of easing up on the slick double entendres, profane party anthems, all-round schtick and the quality of the musicianship.
There's David Lee Roth comparisons abound on opener 'Goin' In The Backdoor' with its fast-paced Rock 'n' Roll and nice guitar melody (Michael Starr did used to be in a Van Halen tribute), but when Starr (Ralph Saenz) asks at the end "Hey baby, do you mind if I can dip my nuts in your chocolate?" that's about as direct as he can get without actually spelling it out!
Latest single and lyric video 'Anything Goes' is fun-fun-fun with its driving rhythm, great screams and hilarious lyrics about where to stick GoPro cameras through to controversial ones about Charlie Sheen; but hey, Tiger Woods has yet to sue as far as I'm aware. The second single 'Poontang Boomerang' is just a full-on party anthem; the first one they released (a while back) was strangely, perhaps, their cover of Cheap Trick's 1982 single, the suggestive and rhythmic 'She's Tight'. They scored a coup by getting Robin Zander to guest on vocals whilst keeping a lot of the elements of the original video for their version.
There's lots to like about this album, including the ballad 'That's When You Came In', which builds on its foundation leading to a very good solo from Satchel (Russell Parrish), the punchy, melodic and damn catchy Hard Rocker 'Wrong Side Of The Tracks (Out In Beverly Hills)', which is très amusing when you think about it, and the rude, crude and lewd yet hard-hitting 'Wasted Too Much Time' with Satchel's inventive solo.
Steel Panther are more than capable of diversifying from their party anthems though, and the ambient, Psychedelic, faux drug-induced 'Now The Fun Starts' is a very clever composition with an amazing Starr scream. The same could be said of the mature bonus tracks, the casual 'Red Headed Step Child' that deviates, musically, from what you may expect, alongside the piano-led 'Momentary Epiphany', although lyrically it raises a little smile. The intense riffing of Hard Rocker 'Pussy Ain't Free', the driving rhythm of 'Walk Of Shame' and the so-eighties-it-should-come-with-an-historical-sticker 'I Got What You Want', with its sing-along chorus and New Romantic keyboard leanings, complete an album that's, as expected, a lyrically over-the-top, melodic and anthemic party ride. If you don't get the joke, then you're missing out on the fun!
Carl Buxton
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