Cocked & Re-Loaded
is a re-recording of what was arguably
L.A. Guns
' finest album, their 1989 sophomore effort,
Cocked & Loaded
(natch), with an extra track thrown in (a completely disposable dance mix of the rocker
"Rip and Tear"
). Maybe you could accuse them of flogging a horse at death's door, but on its own merits, this is a good disc. The material is tried and trusted, and the re-formed lineup from the original album brings plenty of exuberance to these new renditions. Plenty of punch, grunt, and raunch here. Highlights include the alley-cat sass of
"Sleazy Come Easy Go"
-- the kind of music strippers play when they're getting ready for work; the hooky rocker
"Wheels of Fire"
; and the 1990 hit
"The Ballad of Jayne"
-- a moving
torch song
for the late actress
Jayne Mansfield
. Everybody's in fine form and clearly don't give a flying Ferrari that they're putting out a
hair metal
album more than a decade after the wave broke. Like a midnight walk down the Sunset Strip,
is a gritty good time in the old-style
rock & roll
tradition. Not recommended for Southern Baptists or
Korn
fans. ~ Adrian Zupp