Got the new BOC yesterday...it's OK. After all the fan-hype, I was expecting FIRE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN II, but it's not anywhere close. It's decent enough, but maybe they should've had someone else produce it for them...it sounds very flat and samey throughout, not even on a par with HEAVEN FORBID (which had a few bonafide BOC classics on it, such as "See You in Black" and "Harvest Moon"). Seems like almost every song has the same tempo and the same guitar style, and Shirley's lyrics don't really hold up to the Pearlman years.
So, it's good, not great, I'll keep spinning it but I expected to get my socks blown off and that wasn't the case. Shades of DP following up PURPENDICULAR (spectacular comeback) with ABANDON (tired continuation of the franchise); oh well...best songs: "Pocket" and "I Just Like to Be Bad."
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