Michael Monroe
Life Gets You Dirty

Born Matti Fagerholm, Michael Monroe is the epitome of the losing but never defeated rockstar, continuously presenting himself today as he did thirty years ago with the same glam look, the same attitude, and the same tenacity.

This, despite the usual series of misfortunes that have punctuated his life since the days of the glorious Hanoi Rocks.

This fourth solo album captures him in a moment of transition, following a forced stop due to a fractured hip and before the reunion of Hanoi Rocks (2002) and the death of his partner and co-writer Jude Wilder (2001).

The singer will recover from the tragedy with a series of great albums (both solo and under the Hanoi Rocks name) up to the present day, often passing through Italy and flooding stages with bursts of mascara, sweat, and saliva as only those who have been under the stage like myself can know.

This preamble is to say that "Life Gets You Dirty" is ultimately the usual, honest album of gritty and direct rock that certainly doesn't represent one of Monroe's career peaks.

An indication of its average value is also given by the fact that two of the best moments are the covers of "Little Troublemaker" (Ian McLagan) and "Self Destruction Blues" (Hanoi Rocks) and that the only ballad on the platter (usually one of the strengths of the singer's repertoire) is "I Send You Back", perhaps the lowest point reached in his career.

Fortunately, besides the covers, a few tracks help lift the somewhat gloomy mood: the sax that leads guitars and drums in "What's With The World?" and the "classic" "Since When Did You Care?", which reeks of Hanoi Rocks a mile away and reminds us in the lyrics of the rock survivor we are facing.

For the rest, it's business as usual, tracks that someone like Michael Monroe can write in a few minutes without effort, between one spit and another ("Always Never Again"), as his talent is immersed in punk'n'roll instincts, glam streaks, and blues hints. With the addition of a rap experiment like "Not Bad For A White Boy", which, surprisingly, convinces with its nastiness and colorful grime.