SOCIAL DISTORTION „Sex, Love and Rock n Roll”

Music: Punk/Rock n roll
Duration: 42.35 (10 songs)


Cool songs: Reach for the Sky, Don’t Take me for Granted, I wasn’t born to follow, Winners and Losers
Website: www.socialdistortion.com

It seems like yesterday that I first discovered Mike Ness and his band Social Distortion. They’ve been around since 1983 with six or seven albums to their well-respected name; I was beginning to think we’d heard the last from them. Amazingly, it’s been eight long years between drinks for this band, and finally a follow up to the awesome 1996 ‘White Light, White Heat, White Trash’ is with us.

Coming to terms with the loss (and untimely death) of co-founder and great friend Dennis Danell was a major factor in Mike’s long way back to Social Distortion. And true to form, ‘Sex, Love and Rock n Roll’ picks up the ball and runs from when ‘White Light..’ left off. The great thing about ‘White Light..’, and something that ‘SL&RnR’ continues with in spades was it’s melodic and passionate mood.

The SD Punk/Hardcore roots are only an underlying thread nowadays, with Mike emphasizing a ‘melancholic’ style feel to each of his compositions. Honesty, passion and belief drip from every word that Mike vocalizes here – the whole thing being a massive tribute to Danell himself – the music authentic and embraced by a timeless rock ethic. As Mike so eloquently espouses in ‘Winners and Losers’, he asks which path will you choose? You have choices. Then, just as you think Mike’s getting all down and out on us, he delivers the positive laden ‘Live Before you Die’. The message is that SD is less about vicious angst and more about life and the beating heart itself. This album has a load of personal meaning for Mike Ness and you can hear it in every word.

With a simply sensational backing band – including Jonny Wickersham (U.S. Bombs guitarist) and Matt Freeman (bass player from Rancid) helping out, ‘SLRnR’ is loaded with classic rock, 70’s punk tinged anthems. Not a weak track to be found between my ears, at least. SD may not rock as hard as some of their contemporaries, but the impact is twice as convincing. If you loved ‘White Light’ as much as I did, then this will please you no end. Welcome back Mike!

note: 8.8/10

Tracklist

1.Reach for the sky
2.Highway 101
3.Don’t take me for granted
4.Footprints on the Ceiling
5.Nickles and Dimes
6.I wasn’t born to follow
7.Winners and Losers
8.Faithless
9.Live Before You Die
10.Angel’s Wings