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.

“Oh Sherrie”

Steve Perry's girlfriend Sherrie Swafford was actually in the studio when Perry began writing this song--his lone Top Ten hit as a solo act--with two co-writers. The trio began at midnight one night with just "Oh, Sherrie!" and "hold on, hold on." Three hours later, they had a complete song. Swafford, however, had to wait until the next day to hear it. "Sherrie actually got tired and went to bed," Perry said. She also appeared in the video, but their relationship did not hold on for long.