Chip Z’Nuff will always be associated with the band he formed nearly 40 years ago, Enuff Z’Nuff, with whom he has released more than 20 albums since their debut in 1989. These days he is not only the lead singer in that band, a role he only took on a few years back, he is a songwriter, bassist, producer and radio personality. This album finds us exactly where we would expect to be with Chips name on the cover, a Beatles-inspired romp through melodic rock with plenty of harmonies. While Chip provides vocals, bass, guitar and mellotron he has been joined by guests Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Daxx Nielsen (Cheap Trick) and Daniel Hill (Enuff Z’Nuff) while Steven Adler (Guns ‘n Roses) joins in on one song.
The vast majority of songs are new Chip originals, but there are a few surprises here and there which will please the faithful while fitting well with the overall sound. The first of these is “’Heaven In A Bottle”, which was co-written with original Enuff Z’Nuff singer Donnie Vie, which has a bit more of an edge to it, while also has that Beatles sound all the way through. One must wonder just how many more unreleased songs there are from their times together, while “Heroin” is a reworked version of “My Heroin” which originally appeared on the band’s fourth album, ‘Tweaked’, here imbued with just the right amount of sleaze. The album finishes with a cover of Mott The Hoople’s “Honaloochie Boogie”, and given it does not sound out of place at all describes the overall sound of the album very week indeed. This may not be breaking any new ground but is a really enjoyable melodic rock romp all the same. 8/10 Kev Rowland
