Muscle-Car-Heads Start Your Engines: Van Halen Returns to Your Boom Box

I was not too impressed with my first listen of the new Van Halen album, A Different Kind of Truth, but hey, it represents the landmark reunion of Diamond David Lee Roth and the recently wayward Van Halen boys. This is a truly significant moment in pop-culture history, so I'll undoubtedly give it more spins before deciding not to buy it. 

Incidentally, allmusic.com claims this is the first 4-star-plus release from Van Hagar since 1986's 5150, so there's that. There's also this: my enthusiastic nut of a VH-fan friend, D. Mathews, offered these insights. He's already informed me he's getting tickets to see them live yet again.

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I picked up the new Van Halen disc:

It is waaaaaaaay better than I thought.

Not only does it evoke great memories of road parties and keggers, cruising in the ‘Stang, air guitars in ET’s basement, riding in the Barton’s and King’s station wagons holding a boom box listening to Diver Down, and plenty o’ other good memories. But the simple fact is ... it's also quite good. The bar was set high for these guys and how it would be received, and dang if they didn’t just about clear it with this CD. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it's cheesy good blues swagger glitzy guitar god rock.

It's more early VH than later ... heavier, faster, more prog. It's got poppy sweet moments, but it's muscle-car madness at its core. Watch your speed while driving.

Bottoms Up indeed!

Yours in rock,

DM