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Rather than another latest and greatest re-hash of their former glories to bring everyone up-to-date like the rest of their reunited glam-era compatriots, this blues-metal quartet (and former Bon Jovi opening act) have instead opted to give it the works with a full-on, balls-out live album that encompasses all their yesteryear hits.
The first thing that strikes you about the record is what a great, under appreciated band this was (is). Sneaking in Stonesy/Aerosmith-ian blues-based rock n roll under the guise of glam metal from the time when Motley Crue and Whitesnake ruled the world up until The Rolling Stones came back and educated everyone on rock n roll (which, oddly saw the end of this band when one would assume they would be thriving), Cinderella had more memorable hit singles than anyone might remember! The fact that eleven of fourteen tracks here are instantly recognizable MTV staples is a pleasant surprise and a testament to their power. These guys were hotter than most of us realized!
As with most of these re-hash comeback records, the budget is obviously low, so production values suffer. For better or worse, this sounds like a soundboard bootleg. One assumes the band wanted it that way - read the inner sleeve, "No overdubs to fix the rubs...No tricks or studio jive...the good, and the bad, gave all we had...100% fuckin' live!!!". Well, if that's the case, where are the strings coming from that show up on several tracks. And more importantly, how does Tom Keifer sound as note-for-note accurate as he did on big-budget studio albums from ten years ago?
But keyboard-sampled strings are no crime, and I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt that Keifer may have some of the most powerful pipes on the planet that absolutely deliver. Some may find his scratchy, screechy vocal stylings a little much after prolonged listening, but give the man his due - for that high-pitched rock n roll Janis Joplin-esque whisky voice, nobody currently does it better.
The only weird thing about a live album taken straight from a soundboard (and yes, I DO believe that that's how they did it) is the lack of crowd noise. Not that the football stadium haze of, say, KISS Alive 2 is always neccessary, but with a band kicking this much ass without cheering and screaming and very little applause afterwards sounds fairly implausible.
Overall, the songs are amazing. Minor complaints - wish they would have finished "Don't Know What You Got," wish they hadn't done an unplugged rendition of "The Last Mile," and a little too much of the boogie-woogie pianos in the mix, but, hey, this album rules. From the anthemic "Gypsy Road" to the rousing ballad "Coming Home," Cinderella pretty much kicks the shit out of much of their more bally-hooed contemporaries and prove that they are one of the FEW that still have the makings of great rock n roll.
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