A Different Kind of Truth (review)
Van Halen – A Different Kind of Truth
[four out of five stars]
Told ya I was coming back.
David Lee Roth knows what he’s talking about. This line from the track “Blood and Fire” sums it up. With the release of the band’s 12th studio album A Different Kind of Truth this past week, Van Halen has returned to give their fans a major dose of hard rock. I’ve read reviews on the web, Twitter, Facebook, comments on blogs and on iTunes, and the reaction is mixed but mostly positive. For those that are disappointed with ADKOT, it’s expected. It is impossible to please everyone, especially when you’ve gone through at least 5 lineup changes in over 2 decades, not to mention it’s been 14 years since the last studio album. This record is for the fans, those who appreciate the music and the band and take it for what it is. I could get into a debate about Dave vs. Sammy, but that’s a post for another day. I just want to talk about the album.
And this album ROCKS.
Boy, does it rock. There are no ballads. From what I can tell, there are no keyboards. Just straight up, bone-crunching guitar-driven rock. The production on this record is better than their last effort; it sounds GREAT. Dave’s vocal range isn’t what it used to be (wasn’t much to begin with), but his lyrics are firmly tongue-in-cheek. Alex Van Halen’s insane tempos on the drums are unleashed once again. Wolfgang Van Halen keeps pace on the bass with his father and uncle; yes, Michael Anthony’s background vocals are missed, but Wolf holds his own. And Eddie Van Halen? Well, he just rips through this record track for track; from bluesy licks to monster riffs, Eddie’s still got it. ADKOT is probably their heaviest and darkest record since Fair Warning. And I love every second of it.
“Tattoo” – The first single, and maybe the weakest track, thanks mostly to the goofy chorus. However, Eddie more than makes up for it with a great solo.
“She’s The Woman” – An improvement on the old demo. Wolf tears it up on bass. This track makes me wanna dance, that is, if I could dance.
“You and Your Blues” – One of my favorites, I love singing along to it. It’s radio-friendly, and it rocks.
“China Town” – Big Al goes bonkers in a “Hot For Teacher”-kind of way. Wolf impresses as he shares hooks with Eddie.
“Blood and Fire” – Love the lyrics on this. Highlight is Dave’s quote above, which leads into a fantastic solo from Eddie. Currently my favorite track.
“Bullethead” – Balls-to-the-wall. It’s enough for me to hear Eddie’s “elephant” sound to kick it off.
“As Is” – The song starts off with a heavy intro that sounds N-A-S-T-Y. Then the tempo kicks in, and all hell breaks loose. Kinda reminds me of “Sinner’s Swing!” off of Fair Warning.
“Honeybabysweetiedoll” – Maybe the darkest song on the record that took some getting used to. Has a basic riff, but by the middle of the song, Ed takes it to the next level. Then he goes off the chart with his solo. LOVE it.
“The Trouble With Never” – The Three Twins (Ed, Al, and Wolf) bring the funk. Mid-song, Dave gets “deep” with Al and Wolf before Eddie returns with more funk.
“Outta Space” – Straight up-tempo rock with some wordplay from Dave.
“Stay Frosty” – Dave gets bluesy and philosophical in a way that only he knows how, then the band joins a la “Ice Cream Man”. VH boogie at its best.
“Big River” – Taken from another demo; I didn’t like this at first, but it has grown on me.
“Beats Workin’” – For me, this song sounds like an outtake from 1984 (it was originally called “Put Out The Lights” in the 70s). Trying to get used to the lyrics.
There are complaints regarding the use of old demos on this album, and that VH could not be “creative” enough to write new songs. To me, these are new songs. Yes, I’ve heard some of the demos before, but we the fans have asked VH for years to release this stuff. And I believe Eddie has always reached into his vault for every album to date, so this is nothing new. I would love to hear the band jam in the studio when playing off the old stuff. I love a good jam session. And in some ways, I can hear the jam sessions on this album. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
Told ya I was coming back. Say ya missed me. Say it like ya mean it.
Yes, Dave, I missed you and the boys. It’s good to have ya back.
Beowulf
Beowulf – 5 out of 5 – Outstanding retelling of a classic poem that I hated reading back in high school. The film has an all-star cast including Anthony Hopkins, Robin Penn-Wright, John Malkovich, Crispin Glover as the demon Grendel, Angelina Jolie as Grendel’s mother, and Ray Winstone as the fearless warrior Beowulf. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, it was done in beautiful CGI; we happened to catch it at a theater with a digital projector, and it was shown in 3D. Spectacular!
Viewing films in 3D have certainly improved. I was always impressed with 3D presentations done in theme parks like Disney and Universal. However, I found myself with a headache because of straining my eyes to visualize the 3D effects. Those attractions lasted 5 to 10 minutes; I wasn’t so sure about a film lasting nearly 2 hours. I had nothing to worry with Beowulf. In fact, the 3D presentation was done so well that I had forgotten I was wearing special glasses. Lots of action and great storytelling made this the best film I had seen this year.
UPDATE: 11/30/07 – I forgot about Ratatouille. So I digress and say Beowulf is one of the best films I have seen this year.
Transformers
Transformers – (3.5 out of 5) – Having owned the toys as a kid, this was kind of a nostalgic trip for me. Lots of action and the special effects are the true stars of this film, and Shia LaBeouf is great and keeps the movie going. A good popcorn movie, although it fizzled towards the end (costing it a star on my rating scale).
Disturbia
Disturbia – 3 out of 5 – I haven’t seen Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, where this thriller gets its inspiration. This movie has terror and violence – two things I normally don’t have any interest in. The opening sequence with the main character and his dad was enough to make me look away. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this movie; Shia LaBeouf is great as Kale, the teen under house arrest who occupies his time by spying on his neighbors. This brings him to suspect one of them of being a murderer. That’s where the “fun” begins.
Music and Lyrics
Music and Lyrics – 3 out of 5 – a charming “chick flick”. Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore have good chemistry, and the musical performances are actually pretty good, although I could do without Grant’s dancing.
Breach
Breach – 4 out of 5 – based on the story of Robert Hanssen, the FBI agent convicted of spying for the Soviet Union, and Eric O’Neill, the operative who helped catch him. This thriller is a fantastic character study with fine performances from Ryan Phillippe as O’Neill, Laura Linney as Agent Burroughs, and Chris Cooper, who is excellent as Hanssen. Highly recommended.
