Poison'd

Speaking of hair metal, which I guess we were, one of my very awesome readers out in SoCal recently sent me some new Poison. You read that right: New Poison.

Poison’d contains the band’s first new studio recordings in five years. Original members Bret Michaels, CC DeVille, Bobby Dall, and Rikki Rockett are all still in the fold and they sound like the last 20 years never happened. Well, strike that. In contrast to the infamous remark by their early producer Ric Browde (Poison is a “triumph of image over substance”), the band is solid on this album of cover songs. Twenty years of hard living has matured Bret’s voice, which has lost some of that glam whine of the early days. The inflection is still there, though, if you listen.

This album came about as a result of a request from the band on its MySpace space. They asked fans to submit songs they’d like to hear Poison cover. The band has had success in the past doing covers (Grand Funk Railroad’s “We’re an American Band,” The Who’s “Squeeze Box,” and Kiss’ “Rock and Roll All Nite” to name just a couple). For the most part Poison’d does all right. There are a couple of odd choices – The Romantics’ “What I Like About You” and The Cars’ “Just What I Needed” – but most of the other tracks fit the band’s image. They pay tribute to their heritage by covering Bowie, Alice Cooper, and Sweet.

There are eight new tracks on Poison’d, which is scheduled for release June 5. The other five songs have surfaced on various soundtracks, reissues, and greatest hits collections through the years.

Poison will be out on tour with Ratt and White Lion this summer. Here’re some of the dates. Check their MySpace for more and for more songs from Poison’d.

6/13 – Greenville, SC; Bi-Lo Center
6/15 – Orange Beach, AL; The Amphitheatre at the Wharf
6/16 – Birmingham, AL; City Stages (Miller Lite Stage)
6/17 – Charlotte, NC; Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
6/19 – Cincinnati, OH; Riverbend Music Center
6/20 – Pittsburgh, PA; Post-Gazette Pavilion
6/22 – Bay City, MI; Bay City River Roar
6/23 – Cleveland, OH; Blossom Music Center
6/24 – Columbus, OH; Germain Amphitheatre
6/26 – Oakdale, CT; Chevrolet Theatre
6/27 – Reading, PA; Sovereign Center
6/29 – Big Flats, NY; The Summer Stage
6/30 – Boston, MA; Tweeter Center

Little Willy (Sweet cover).mp3
We’re an American Band (Grand Funk Railroad cover).mp3

Labels: covers, metal

posted by aikin @ 11:32 AM