Buckcherry: Buckcherry : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Buckcherry, a quintet as ur-Hollywood as the Eagles or the Oscars, go somewhat heavy yet don't gun for metalhood; they offer melodic songs but avoid Bon Jovi-style showboating; they know what swamp rock is without camping out in Mississippi. "Everyone's losing their mind again," aggressive singer and lyricist Joshua Todd reports in "Dead Again"; "I'm gonna die in your dirty fucking mind," he warns in "Dirty Mind." Buckcherry, produced with precision by Terry Date and Steve Jones (formerly of the Sex Pistols), is remarkably consistent -- it's serious indeed about extending the tradition of energetically stale guitar rock not made by rocket scientists. If Buckcherry get lucky, you can imagine Todd saying, "We really wanted to stretch out into something more varied" about their follow-up. But for now, well, there will always be records like this, as long as there is an L.A., electricity and guest lists. (RS 808)

JAMES HUNTER