WOMANIZER is the title of the debut album from L.A. Hard Rock band WOMANIZER. It's a title and a band name that may not seem much in style right now with the term often being used to describe the sort of man that women in the millions are currently protesting but that doesn't bother the band. Womanizer isn't a new band and at one time their name was viewed as ironically humorous. But times have changed. And how.
The lead off single from the newly remixed and remastered ten song CD, Pictures Of You, is about a man whose childhood next door neighbor was the apple of her father's eye. A great deal of his childhood memories are of the photos her doting dad took of the two of them. It seemed only natural that the young beauty would grow up to become a model, appearing in fashion magazines before destiny, bad luck and a slumping economy directed her into the Porn Industry. It is a tale of an earlier age with references to "a theater, all night arcade" when you had to venture out to sleazy book stores that had video booths in the back if you wanted to view pornography rather than in the comfort of your own home and the Internet.
The next tune on the CD is titled Sexist and at first listen may seem a bit unsavory as well but it is actually a rather sweet idea about a man who views his life as a series of relationships with women that he cherishes. Some men recall the various chapters of their lives by remembering what kind of car they owned at the time, or where they lived, or what job they held while some men view the different periods of their lives as a series of their love affairs. The character in this song is done playing the field and has settled down with one woman but still keeps all the others alive in his heart. Is that being sexist?
Fire Up A Boogie is an instrumental that refers both to smoking a joint and to the basic musical style. Several of the songs on WOMANIZER have a Boogie-Woogie, Swing Music vibe to them along the lines of early Aerosmith or ZZ Top. This is definitely an American band. The marijuana reference is appropriate as the band has built a cult following by performing in underground 420 clubs referred to as "Smoke-Easies" and have been featured in Freedom Leaf Magazine, The 420 Times and Vegas Cannabis Magazine.
WOMANIZER review video for the reading impaired.
Mass Murder Man, along with the song Sexist were described by BAM Magazine as "entertaining, energized Pop Metal". Mass Murder Man is another example of WOMANIZER's bad timing as the recent mass shooting has attached a connotation to it that was not intended. Originally a comment on the Punk Rock scene that in the affluence of Hollywood seemed to be populated by rebels without a cause, it now is viewed as a commentary on gun violence.
Going from the frying pan into the fire we have Sidestreets, a saga that is clearly about gang violence that exists purely for the thrill of the kill. This track sounds like a movie that you watch when you close your eyes.
As a palate cleanser we next have Tough Love, a not too romantic ballad about a love gone bad. This is one of the CD's poppier numbers and one to which you could actually dance.
Never Have & Never Will is a theme song for all the musicians out there, like the guys in WOMANIZER, who have chased the Rock & Roll Dream only to ultimately discover the real success was in experiencing the journey itself.
True Love is the other "love song" on a CD that otherwise is a bit cynical. It also shows some of the band's more psychedelic influences.
The emotional peak of the album is the David Nigel Lloyd penned tune, Machine Gun Danny. It's the comic book style tale of a robot (android) that is a political assassin and uses being a Rock & Roll star as his cover. Imagine if Ziggy Stardust was a robot. And killed people. Times have changed.
As a grand finale which feels like an encore, the eight minute epic Ghost Song closes out the CD in a very satisfying way. The song was written by the late poet Don Coorough and like the man himself, depicts the road the music has been on since the start of the album as ending in a dramatic and tragic manner. The extended guitar solo in the middle of the song which was always a staple of the band's live shows, is now less a guitar solo and more of a guitar sound collage. A mantra of interweaving electric guitars that defies concentrating on any one riff but becomes an hypnotic tapestry of sound which takes the listener right up to the edge before returning to the cinematically dramatic, yet melancholy ending.
WOMANIZER is available on iTunes, Amazon and virtually everywhere the Internet may take you. Pictures Of You can also be heard on Little Steven's Underground Garage on Sirius XM Radio starting in February, 2018. Enjoy the trip.
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