Search - Buckcherry :: All Night Long

They need an outside producer

Leroy Brown | 08/19/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I enjoyed this album. It's consistent with "Black Butterfly," but it never comes close to the sheer ferocity of their first two albums (of which, "Time Bomb" is my favorite). Most of the reviewers so far have correctly identified the best tracks: "Oh My Lord," "Recovery," "Never Say Never" and "Dead."



That said, Keith Nelson needs to stop producing his band's albums, and get someone who will push the band (especially Josh) to realize their true potential as songwriters and performers.



For instance: "Our World" is a good song, but it's also a prime example of a song that doesn't transition well between its various parts. Sadly, there are several songs like this on "All Night Long." A good producer would have pushed the band until they smoothed out these bumps.



Another thing the band needs is a return to the raunch. As a writer, Josh Todd shows a Rolling Stones-like ability to make raunchy lyrics palatable. Not since "15," however, has he pushed his range or melodies. A good producer would push him to sing balls out from start to finish like he did on "Time Bomb," an album which he claimed at the time represented how he always wanted Buckcherry to sound.



On this album, there's nothing special or new about the rhythyms - just standard rock, blues and shuffles. Some of these songs will make you move your feet, yet the moments where Josh hits upon a good groove are always short-lived. The title track and "Never Say Never" are good examples of where the verse locks in a great (albeit short) groove with lyrics that roll off the tip of the tongue and turn a gait into a swagger. An outside producer would work with the band until they could sustain those moments a little longer.



Lastly, Buckcherry has once again included some good bonus tracks, some of which threaten to steal the show. To get these tracks, you may need to purchase the Best Buy version of "All Night Long." Had some of these songs made it onto "All Night Long" proper, the album would be on par with "Black Butterfly" and maybe even "15."







"

A True Classic Rock Album

Dan | 08/16/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Buckcherry's most mature and focused album to date, All Night Long is one of the band's best albums. I actually really enjoyed Black Butterfly (especially the superb "Rescue Me" and "Fallout"), but this is a superior album. It might take a couple playthroughs to sink in fully, but you can tell they polished the hell out of each of these tracks in the studio until they were perfect.



The guitar tones are fantastic - Keith Nelson has really stepped up on this album. They went with very few overdubs and simply let the dual rhythms fill the space beautifully. These guys are getting true AC/DC tones off vintage equipment, and Nelson and Stevie D. really might be the best rhythm duo since Slash and Izzy.



Josh Todd is still a mixed bag technically, but the vocals here are tighter than on Black Butterfly and very strong overall. He's also highly toned down the swearing, which is a nice change of pace. The bass and drumming remain as strong and restrained as ever.



The songwriting, too, has also really matured. The well-structured, evenly layered core Buckcherry sound is still here, except with a new wonderful diversity in style and composition. It's no longer just rocker-rocker-ballad-ballad-rocker. There are also far fewer soft ballads than the last album, for those of you who weren't fans of Butterfly.



In line with this stylistic change of pace, you must buy the deluxe version, as the acoustic set is fantastic. I'd say about four of the six are really excellent songs, and the other two are still very good. All feature beautiful acoustic work.



Also of note, the solos are fantastic and really rip. Also, all of them are very original this time (unlike in the previous album). The riffs are extremely tight, and I can't overstate how perfectly structured most of these pieces are; Buckcherry has really perfected its art.



"Recovery" is great, punchy hard rock; "Liberty" has sweet slide work and cool classic rock references. "Our World" is the sort of the song I'd normally hate - preachy, pointless message rock. I was pleasantly surprised by how badass it turned out. With sick riffs and a kicking wah solo, it's an entirely awesome song. "Bliss" is a relaxed psychedelic and a beautiful song. It has the feel of a really solid 90's tune, and deserves to have the volume cranked.



"Dead" deserves a special mention. Easily the best song on the album, it might be the best Buckcherry song to date. It's equal parts "My Generation" and "Freebird." The longest track on the album and an instant classic, it rocks like almighty hell.



All in all, a very strong showing from Buckcherry, and definitely one of the frontrunners for album of the year. An elegant, true album. Bravo.



(Oh, and to the guys above, you absolutely DO want to play this for your girlfriend. If you want to get laid!)



9/10"