ALICE COOPER – DETROIT STORIES
Written by Dawn Osborne on February 24, 2021
His twenty first solo album Alice Cooper honours Detroit’s place in the history of hard rock by recording this album in Detroit and involving many local musicians from that city. Alice, himself was born there, of course! Special guests include Wayne Kramer (MC5), Joe Bonamassa and original AC band members Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith. Alice presides as MC over a pretty diverse offering with influences from the whole Detroit music scene.
‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’, more musical than the Velvet Underground original has the fabulous Joe Bonamassa on bluesy guitar. ‘Go Man Go’ is edgier and punky with an almost Ramones like pace. ‘Our Love Will Change The World’ (a cover of a song by a band called Outrageous Cherry), superficially happy and singalong-friendly, is less than saccharine sweet with its pithy social comment about cancel culture, so it’s much darker than a quick listen might betray.
‘Social Debris’ the latest single is quintessential Alice, think ‘Rats’ from the last album as is ‘Hail Mary’ with its transgressive vibe. ‘$1000 High Heel Shoes’ is, by contrast, a touch of RnB/Motown with horns and female backing singers added to the bluesy guitar. ‘Detroit City 2021’ is a direct tribute to the musical history of Detroit and the place it obviously still holds in Alice’s heart.
‘Drunk And In Love’ reminds a bit of Alannah Myles’ ‘Black Velvet’ with its sleepy bluesy slow insistent beat and the lyrics are a bit Dave Lee Roth solo material, massively camp, louche and a tribute to long gone great rock n rollers. ‘Independence Dave’ is a bit 50s rock n roll, but again I could image Diamond Dave doing this one solo.
‘I Hate You’ is angrier and is parody of the modern world we live in and the way people have a sacrosanct opinion about everything and feel they can directly insult well known people as if they are not real people. ‘Wonderful World’ has a creepy horror feel and is another track full of social commentary about the entitled.
‘Sister Anne’ the MC5 cover is less honky tonk than the original and is more Beat Generation. ‘Hanging On By A Thread (Don’t Give Up)’ has a sort of ‘One of Us’ Joan Osborne feel musically and is a song of inspiration for the Pandemic with some great blues guitar. ‘Shut Up And Rock’ is a simple rock anthem with rock n roll guitar and is likely to go down well live. ‘East Side Story’ an old Bob Seger song is a melange of fifties and sixties influences with Hammond organ.
Alice recently celebrated his 73rd birthday and as America’s Rock Royalty he lords over this homage to Detroit a bit like Fagin over the London underworld or the Monkey King in ‘The Jungle Book’ with supreme authority, inspiring reverence no less, in an alternative world that doesn’t play by the usual rules.
Dawn Osborne
