TNT
Transistor
Spitfire
Forget Buckcherry and all those shamefully lesser dolts: If the sound and spirit of ’80s hair metal is ever going to be fully resurrected and tossed to the misled youth of today, TNT’s Transistor will be the record to do so. Like so many long-lost stadium-ready party platters from the golden era of commercial radio, Transistor bumps ‘n’ grinds with a cock-hard swagger rarely seen since Poison’s heyday, albeit with less hairspray and spandex. That’s all right, though, because TNT touches all the bases as any great Rikki Rachtman-endorsed band would, from sweaty rump-shakers (“Mousetrap,” “Wide Awake”) to drunk-driving soundtracks (“No Guarantees”) to sweeping power ballads (“Because I Love You,” “Fantasia Espanola”) to the obligatory acoustic tear-jerker (“Under My Pillow”); yep, Transistor ‘s got all that in spades. And if that isn’t enough, vocalist Tony Harnell does a better job of Stephen Pearcy’s sensual sneer than Mr. Pearcy does these days. What makes the album less stale than a pair of well-worn crotchless panties, however, is its post-industrial sheen, which doubtless will update TNT into the new millennium and, subsequently, send the ladies swooning and the dollar signs mounting.
Spitfire: www.SpitfireRecords.com
