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Rating: Drastic and sudden (and I would add suspicious) U-turn for Alice Cooper.
After the modern touches of ?Dragontown? and ?Brutal Planet?, which didn’t sit well at all with the old fan base, Alice makes a grand return to his roots with this ?Dirty Diamonds?, an album that takes us back to the '70s-'80s... oh yes, because with this CD, Alice has returned to the sound that marked his period of greatest success. Frankly, I do not agree with this choice of his for two reasons:
- The recent albums were excellent ?challenges? against the past (and I don’t agree with those who claim that Alice is now dead and buried).
- Going back to the past, I believe, has clipped the wings of an artist who can still give a lot.
However, the quality of the album is good, there is no doubt about it. There are tracks that truly remind us of the old Alice Cooper, such as ?Woman Of Mass Destruction?, ?You Make Me Wanna? and the compelling ?Run Down The Devil?. However, I find the more carefree tracks on the platter truly exhilarating, like the charming ?Steal That Car? or the almost country ballad ?The Saga Of Jesse Jane? in which Cooper's ironic and bittersweet streak is expressed to the fullest. In the limited edition of the album, there is also ?Stand?, a brilliant duet with rapper X-Zibit.
Coming to the end, ?Dirty Diamonds? is an album that will undoubtedly appeal to those who have loved (and still love) Alice's older works. It is an album that brings Mr. Cooper back to his origins, simultaneously a work born of an immortal style, yet at the same time of a sound that has now had its day.
Tracklist and Lyrics
03 Perfect (03:31)
(Alice Coopr, Ryan Roxie, Damon Johnson)
She's an overnight sensation
In the mirror on her wall
She gets a standing ovation
At every shower curtain call
And she becomes a pop star
In the safety of her car
And then she falls to pieces
At the karaoke bar
And she's perfect
Until the lights go on
And then it all goes wrong
'Cause now she's not so perfect
She can shake it just like J-Lo
When the bedroom lights go down
But when she hits the dance floor
She's a hip-hop hippo clown
She's perfect
Until the lights go on
And then it all goes wrong
'Cause now she's not so perfect
She's perfect
She's so fine
She's so wonderful
In the arena of her mind
She's not perfect
She's all mine
She can't sing or dance
She ain't got a chance
But baby, I don't mind
She's perfect
Oh, she's perfect
Ah, she's so perfect
You know, she's so perfect
Ah, ah, ah
Sing baby
Dance, dance, dance
You got it
Shake it down
Oh, that's bad
That's bad
I love you baby
That's just awful
You got it
You got it.
08 The Saga of Jesse Jane (04:17)
I'm in jail in a Texas town
In my sister's wedding gown
I drive a truck all night long
Listening to Judy Garland songs
Now I'm locked behind bars of steel
I was just looking for a happy meal
I park my rig and I went inside
They've never seen such a pretty bride
Jesse Jane, are you insane?
Or are you just a normal guy
Who dresses like a butterfly
Jesse Jane
I paid my bill and I turned around
Facing every red neck in that one horse town
His face was red. His fist was clenched
He threw his coke and he got me drenched
Jesse Jane, are you insane?
Or are you just an average Joe
Looking for a fashion show
Jesse Jane
Well, I guess that was the final straw
I pulled a pistol from my Wonderbra
I killed him dead. I killed 'em all
And they finally caugh me in the bathroom stall
And now I'm doing ten to life
But I'll tell you one thing, Bubba
Someday I'm gonna make someone in here
A hell of a wife
Jesse Jane, are you insane?
Or are you just a average guy
Who dresses like a butterfly
Jesse Jane
Jesse Jane, are you insane?
Or are you just a Peter Pan
Looking for his Neverland
Jesse Jane
12 Your Own Worst Enemy (02:19)
(Alice Cooper, Ryan Roxie)
You're your own worst enemy
You're a walking catastrophe
You get up every morning on the wrong side of the bed
You butter your hand instead of the bread
Drink enough coffee to wake the dead.
You're doing 85 and the light is turning red
The judge took your license and forbid you to drive
And your heart is pumping bacon and you're barely alive
You're your own worst enemy
You're a walking catastrophe
You're at war with yourself and nobody else
You're a danger. You're a danger
You trip on your shoelace and fall on your face
Your hair is a mess, your clothes a disgrace
Your stocks went south and your girlfriend is gay
Your dog ate your cat and that was your good day
You're your own worst enemy
You're a walking catastrophe
You're at war with yourself and nobody else
You're a danger
You're your own worst enemy
You're a walking catastrophe
You're at war with yourself and nobody else
You're a danger. You're a danger
To every stranger
You're a mess
Yes, yes
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Other reviews
By AR (Anonima Recensori)
Alice Cooper is here, he is alive and giving rock 'n' roll lessons to the new generations.
If the old lions are still capable of producing records like this, let's forget about the White Stripes and company for a while and dive back into the horror-rock of this sometimes incredibly underrated character.
