The title of
Cheap Trick
's 21st album is definitely meant to be tongue in cheek, another bit of self-effacing, yet defiantly independent attitude from a band who shows no sign of slowing down.
All Washed Up
is an impressive mix of high-octane rockers, grinding hard rock, tender ballads, and shimmering pop songs, all delivered with a wink and a kick in the pants. So, it's pretty much business as usual.
Rick Nielsen
is still an absolute best on six strings, the rhythm section of
Tom Petersson
and
Daxx Nielsen
is rock solid, and
Robin Zander
has the same mix of wild abandon and subtle sensitivity that has been the hallmark of the band throughout their long career. Indeed, the album plays like a sampler of all the styles they had taken in and conquered along the way. Bruising power pop (the title track) bumps up against finely layered
Beatle
-esque pop ("Bad Blood"); pummeling arena rock ("The Riff That Won't Quit") nestles next to a jangling
Tom Petty
-ish melancholy number ("A Long Way to Worcester"), and swaggering, somewhat menacing tracks like "Bet It All" are paired with riffy songs that come across like
AC/DC
at their poppiest ("All Wrong Long.") The band unsurprisingly knock the rockers and uptempo pop songs out of the park,
Nielsen
's oddball way with a hook has never failed him and
Zander
can put across a song with zing that's undimmed by time. What's a bit of a shock is how great they sound on the big, goopy power ballads that one might have thought they would have consigned to the vault. They do trot out the huge harmonies, slick layers of glistening guitars and synths, hooks so huge even
Diane Warren
would be jealous, and sentiments so sweet they could cause tooth decay. "The Best Thing" is the most charming of the bunch, a breathless love song built around
's heartfelt vocal, an uplifting chord progression, and words that might have even the crustiest grump believing in the possibility of love. "Twelve Gates" is another great example of mainstream
, stacking vocal harmonies and guitar jangle all the way up to heaven, while "Love Gone" flips the script to tell a heartbreak story with the same amount of soul, passion, and slickness. If
Roy Orbison
were still on the planet, this would have been a perfect song for him to cover. The only song that seems to come from nowhere is the album ending "Wham Boom Bang," a jolly little knees up full of clarinets, cute guitar licks, and a saucy vocal from
. The rest of the album is
through and through, every song a reminder of how their past achievements were truly special, while at the same time letting everyone know they are still cranking out songs with all the manic energy, gleeful abandon, and pure pop songcraft they've embraced from the start. ~ Tim Sendra