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Deko Entertainment [Release date 15.04.26]
Warrant’s fifth album ‘Belly to Belly, Vol. 1′ has been remastered and repackaged and is being re-released in April, and for the first time will also be released on vinyl.
Originally released in 1996 it is the last Warrant album to feature vocalist Jani Lane and was described at the time as a concept album about the rags to riches of stardom.
Following in the steps of the previous two albums ‘Dog Eat Dog’ and ‘Ultraphobic’ the album is a shift in direction from the sound that brought the band multi-platinum success and this had an alienating effect on some fans, I bought the album at the time and like many others found it a bit of a mish-mash and only gave it a few listens before giving up.
Lane himself was, in my opinion, one of the best songwriters of the time, take the highly successful ‘Cherry Pie’ out of the equation for a minute (hey, goofy song + big chorus + memorable video = radio play, MTV success, bigger gigs etc. Still think it was a dumb move?) and consider the likes of ‘Mr Rainmaker’, ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’, ‘I Saw Red’ and ‘Heaven’ and you will see where I am going with this.
So how does ‘Belly To Belly, Vol. 1′ fare thirty years on? Quite well on reflection as it happens.
Still not as accessible as previous albums but now it is easy to look back and re-evaluate the effect of the surrounding musical landscape at the time, and to realise that Warrant had to try and stay current if they were to carve out a post-hair metal career.
Opening track ‘In the End (There’s Nothing)’is almost Radiohead like at times, whilst ‘A.Y.M. (Angry Young Man)’, ‘Falling Down’ and ‘Vertigo’ are heavily influenced by grunge. ‘Feels Good’ is also trying to sound like the rock bands of the era but works really well, as do ‘Solid’, ‘Indian Giver’ and ‘Room With a View’ which are all Stone Temple Pilots flavoured.
However ‘Letter To A Friend’ has shades of classic Warrant to it and reminds me of that great Lane songwriting. As does the duet ‘All 4 U’ and ‘Coffee House’ which is heavier but melodic. One thing, well two actually, that still doesn’t work for me is Interlude #1 and #2, they feel out of place and pointless really.
Is ‘Belly To Belly, Vol. 1′ a good album? Yes. Is it a good Warrant album? That is down to the individual listener. That said, I am glad I revisited the album but it did make me go back to Warrant’s earlier catalogue for a listen. ***
Review by Nikk Gunns
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