Search - Rock Star Supernova :: Supernova

Better than St. Anger at anyrate

Daniel Maltzman | Arlington, MA, USA | 11/22/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike most who are buying this album, I never even watched "Rock Star" on TV. I had no idea who Lukas Rossi is until I picked this album up. I'm just a fan of Metallica, Motley Crue and Guns N' Roses and wanted to see what this "super-group" had to offer, as a band with Tommy Lee, (drums) Jason Newsted (bass) and Gilby Clarke (guitar) looks good on paper.



It should be noted that none of the celebrity musicians on season two of "rock star" were the principal songwriters in the bands that made them famous. Newsted and Clarke were basically just fill-ins for Metallica and Guns N' Roses, respectively, when Cliff Burton died and Izzy quit. In Motley Crue it was bassist Nikki Sixx that wrote most of the songs.



Still, I was exited when it was announced that Clarke would be the lead guitarist for such a high profile project, as I have followed his solo career throughout the 90s/00s and have always regarded him as an underrated talent and underappreciated songwriter. With an awesome drummer like Tommy Lee and a stellar bassist like Jason Newsted supporting Clarke, Rock Star Supernova's self-titled debut should be great, right? Unfortunately, this is not the case.



The songs themselves aren't actually that bad. The music on "Rock Star: Supernova" sounds pretty retro, like T-Rex meets Sweet--in other words, the music has a real classic 70s sound, but with a modern production. The problem is the songs just aren't that memorable. Gilby Clarke has made some awesome solo albums in a similar vein, most notably "Pawnshop Guitars" (1994) and "The Hangover" (1997). Unfortunately, most of Clarke's contributions to "Rock Star: Supernova" sound like warmed-over out-takes that weren't good enough for his solo albums. The songs written by Lee, Scott Humphrey and producer Butch Walker with or without Clarke are just totally bland, middle-of-the-road commercial drivel. Butch Walker's ultra-slick production takes away any balls that this music could have had.



Singer Lukas Rossi isn't all that bad--he's actually a competent singer, but there isn't anything special about him either. He's totally faceless. It's as though anyone could have sang on this album. Clarke, Lee and Newsted have shared the stage with the likes of Axl Rose, Vince Neil and James Hetfield...Rossi is no Axl Rose...



There are some good songs on here, like the infectious "Headspin," "Leave the Lights on" and the dark closing track "The Dead Parade." But most of the songs, however, are just "ehh." This is just middle-of-the-road, commercial pap. It wouldn't be too hard to imagine the songs on this album as the sound-track to a WB coming-of-age show. This is mall-rat, teen music and not something that GN'R, Motley or Metallica fans want to hear

"

Not quite the supernova advertised...

D. Doran | Ohio | 11/30/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Like many, I was upset when I saw Lukas Rossi win the competition to front Rockstar Supernova. Of all the singers there, he was my least favorite. While I still would prefer to hear Toby on this album, Lukas has almost won me over. The song-writing however, leaves a lot to be desired. It is evident immediately, that the members of the band (Gilby Clarke, Tommy Lee, and Jason Newsted) were not the main song-writers in their respective bands. Songs like "Underdog", "It's On" and "Leave the Lights On" reek of mediocrity, leaving the listener to wonder how in the hell did these guys make it big (Gilby can thank Izzy for tiring of Axl's crap). If this is supposed to be dangerous rock n' roll, it's the equal of the danger one might encounter from a butter knife.

Now there are some good songs on here, seriously. "Be Yourself (and 5 Other Cliches)" has a catchy-as-all-hell chorus, while "Social Disgrace" has an eerie menace to it. Lukas' original, "Headspin", which I loathed when he sang it on the show, is much improved here. I know Jason criticized Lukas' vocal stylings on a few occasions, so maybe it sunk in, as Lukas's voice has improved greatly. Or maybe he's just a terrible live singer.

Before you write this off as 'corporate whoring', at least download a song or two, and give them a chance. Do I think they'll make a lasting, important mark on music? No, but overall this is a fun album."

Pleasantly Surprised

C. Baker | Washington, DC | 01/04/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was quite pleasantly surprised at the quality of the songs on Rock Star Supernova. Tommy Lee (Motley Crue), Gilby Clarke (Guns N Roses), and Jason Newstead (Metallica) teamed up in the television show of the same name to find Lukas Rossi as their vocalist. All the songs, except one, are quite entertaining. They are more or less typical pop songs - unlike some of the previous work of the bands' founding members. But they are entertaining and fun songs and I quite enjoy the album."