Alice Cooper: Dragontown : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Dragontown is a marked improvement on last year's rather forgettable Brutal Planet, boasting more creativity, more range -- both melodic and thematic -- and, thankfully, more willingness to avoid the nu-metal territory staked out by younger bands. Some of Alice's old flair is back, with the highlight being "Disgraceland," an Elvis piss-take all done up in metal- rockabilly drag. The lyrics are a hoot and sung with a nasty lip curl -- the sardonic playfulness harks back to the Goes to Hell era. "Triggerman" provides a racy opener for the album, "Fantasy Man" is a sexy-catchy boogie burst, while "Every Woman Has a Name" is a ballad in the classic Alice mold. While it may not be the Alice of Killer and School's Out -- that Alice doesn't live here anymore -- Dragontown is quasi-tasty stuff -- sometimes exciting, other times a little ponderous -- from an old pro with plenty of miles still left on the odometer.