admin
22 December 2023
I’ve loved Social Distortion about as long as I’ve been able to buy my own music. Back in the day, I was looking for a voice as alienated as my own, so liking them had more to do with their punk rock spirit than their musical abilities.
But as they’ve continued to release albums, I’ve continued to get older. I’ve played a little music. Lived a life experience or two. And now, I hold Social Distortion even closer.
For me, Sex, Love And Rock \'N\' Roll is another notch in their spiky, studded musical belt. \"Reach For The Sky\" rips the album open with a sweaty fury akin to the fire they held in their bellies on earlier releases like Mommy’s Little Monster or their self-titled 1986 release. Then they show off their newer, wiser fire with one of my favorite songs on the disc, \"Highway 101\". It’s a mid-tempo rocker that proves that, despite possessing an unparalleled toughness, lead singer Mike Ness can still pack as much heart into a chorus as he can pack power into a punch. And mixing the fury with the heartfelt, he pays tribute to his late friend and musical comrade, Dennis Danell, with \"Don’t Take Me For Granted\".
And that’s just the first three songs, boys and girls. Not that I even needed to review that much. Social Distortion has been around so long, they don’t have a reputation. They have respect. And if the rest of their fans are anything like me, that respect goes beyond mere admiration for their independent-as-fuck spirit. It also has something to do with them writing some of the most well-crafted rock songs around.
But as they’ve continued to release albums, I’ve continued to get older. I’ve played a little music. Lived a life experience or two. And now, I hold Social Distortion even closer.
For me, Sex, Love And Rock \'N\' Roll is another notch in their spiky, studded musical belt. \"Reach For The Sky\" rips the album open with a sweaty fury akin to the fire they held in their bellies on earlier releases like Mommy’s Little Monster or their self-titled 1986 release. Then they show off their newer, wiser fire with one of my favorite songs on the disc, \"Highway 101\". It’s a mid-tempo rocker that proves that, despite possessing an unparalleled toughness, lead singer Mike Ness can still pack as much heart into a chorus as he can pack power into a punch. And mixing the fury with the heartfelt, he pays tribute to his late friend and musical comrade, Dennis Danell, with \"Don’t Take Me For Granted\".
And that’s just the first three songs, boys and girls. Not that I even needed to review that much. Social Distortion has been around so long, they don’t have a reputation. They have respect. And if the rest of their fans are anything like me, that respect goes beyond mere admiration for their independent-as-fuck spirit. It also has something to do with them writing some of the most well-crafted rock songs around.
artid
2854
Old Image
7_4_socialdistortion.jpg
issue
vol 7 - issue 04 (dec 2004)
section
entertainmental