An Almost Comeback

Def Leppard is a popular heavy metal band that formed in the late ‘70s. The Sheffield, England group dominated the ‘80s music charts, having two diamond-selling albums in a row, with Pyromania and Hysteria selling 10 million and 12 million albums, respectively. Songs From The Sparkle Lounge is the band’s tenth studio album and first since their 2002 album X, which had many softer, more pop-laden songs.

The album’s first single, “Nine Lives,” features a guest appearance from, of all people, country star Tim McGraw. I don’t know whose idea it was to have a country singer collaborate on a song from one of the biggest rock bands of the ‘80s, but if you can get past that bizarre fact, the song itself isn’t that bad. McGraw sings the opening line, but doesn’t appear to do much after that. The band puts together a steady rhythm that leads all the way to the chorus, where they delve into the sugary sound that has made them popular in the past. “Nine Lives” sounds as though it could be a potential radio hit and could potentially bring them back into the public eye. The main problem with the song, though, is that it employs more of the pop sound of their last album instead of the hard, driving pop/metal songs that made them big in the past.

Possibly the best song on the album is “Only The Good Die Young.” Like “Nine Lives,” this song favors their newer, more pop-sounding material as opposed to their earlier rock, but still has a great sound that is close enough for rock ‘n’ roll standards. The song starts off sounding like a soft ballad, but quickly transitions to an explosive riff-driven chorus that ultimately dominates the song. There is even a good guitar solo in the track, something that is usually not found on modern rock releases.

All things considered, Def’s latest album has its bright moments. Although there are really no bad songs on the album, Songs From The Sparkle Lounge seems more like the band’s 21st-century perspective of rock n’ roll instead a return to their glory days.