Reckless Love - 'Spirit'

Every cliché in the book on every song.

The third album from Finnish rockers Reckless Love, 'Spirit', was something I'd been looking forward to since their last album. With their catchy hooks, amazing live performances and looks, 'like they were carved out of magic' (as a certain Australian front-man once told me), I used to think they had it all. Now, don't get me wrong, musically, this is a great album, but I'm so disappointed in the content of the lyrics. Seriously, every cliché in the book on every song! In fact, it's like they've gone to an actual cliché thesaurus and tried to get every single one into twelve songs!

'I Love Heavy Metal', while it has a great riff, is just a list of bands and songs, really cheesy, and I don't think it works particularly well either. 'Favourite Flavor' is even worse. It's just banal, predictable, and I was cringing all the way through. David Lee Roth howls in one song and they even rip off one of their own songs, 'Badass', in another, it's laughable. I know that the RL faithful will love this album, but it's just not for me I'm afraid. To my mind the only saving grace is next to last track 'Hard Rain', a ballad, but great playing and a good song.



Will I go and see them again live? Certainly! Would I buy this album? Not unless I was going to play it at a party for fifteen year old girls who like risqué subject matter and tittering behind their hands. Sorry, but I thought their first two albums were mature compared to this. At least when Steel Panther do it, they INTEND to take the piss.

Sorry this isn't more positive for the darlings of what I like to call 'Gorgeous Rock', but I guess I just expected music with a bit more thought.

Sue Ashcroft