Stephen Pearcy remains one of the very few musicians of the L.A. glam scene of the early 80s who keeps on coming up with new recording material –contrary to the current climate where new music is almost obsolete- in order to express his artistic needs. And yes, truth be told here; the final result might not be always the most desirable one (we are still trying to get over with the mediocre Vicious Delite and Vertex projects) but nevertheless we must acknowledge his persistence to find new musical horizons although we are pretty certain that he is fully aware of where his natural inclination lies.

“Smash” was released a few months ago by Frontiers Records and if my memory serves me well this is his first album after the superb “Infestation” (Ratt). As it happens almost with every single solo release by Pearcy, this is yet another diverse and versatile effort by the veteran singer as it balances between a modern approach and an old school aesthetic. Having said that, the two opening tracks (“I Know I’m Crazy” and “Ten Miles Wide”) will surely sound peculiar to the die hard Ratt fans but that doesn’t apply to the majestic “Want Too Much” and “Jamie” that could have easily fit on a classic Ratt release. Speaking of Ratt, we can say the same for the song “Lollipop” although that sounds a little bit like a “Reach For The Sky” reject.

Stephen Pearcy is once again really good behind the mic and his backing band is doing a pretty decent job in the studio. Maybe, I’d preferred a little more traditional rock n’ roll and less modern rock but on the other hand if we wanted yet another Ratt record what’s the reason for a solo album…right?

Highlight: Ratt’s new album is scheduled for 2019…a little too far, if you ask me!