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Alice Cooper
Dirty Diamonds
(Sony/BMG)
Vincent Furnier has a heavy load to bear.
The veteran rock 'n 'roller has to cope with the legend of one of the 1970s best hard rock bands -- creators of such classics as School's Out, Under My Wheels and No More Mr. Nice Guy.
Even though his songwriting has pulled away from the tunes that paved his road to stardom since 1975's Welcome To My Nightmare, the diversity of Dirty Diamonds still seems to belie the man's reputation.
In addition to hard rock like Run Down The Devil, you get The Saga of Jesse Jane -- possibly the first country-rock tune about a homicidal transvestite trucker who packs a pistol in his Wonderbra -- and the pseudo-"stoner rock" of the title track.
Pretty Ballerina is an out-of-left-field cover of chamber pop legends The Left Banke of Walk Away Renee fame, while Perfect, though witty and catchy, sounds more like T. Rex than A. Cooper.
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Of course, it wouldn't be an Alice Cooper album without flashes of the Coop's sometimes silly wit: "Your dog ate your cat, and that was your good day!" he declares in Your Own Worst Enemy.
Cooper might have produced an album too diverse for its own good, but all the tunes -- setting aside the Olympic theme song featuring rapper Xzibit added as a bonus track -- have their own charm.
Track Listing
1. Woman Of Mass Distraction
2. Perfect
3. You Make Me Wanna
4. Dirty Diamonds
5. The Saga Of Jesse Jane
6. Sunset Babies ( All Got Rabies )
7. Pretty Ballerina
8. Run Down The Devil
9. Steal That Car
10. Six Hours
11. Own Worst Enemy
12. Zombie Dance
13. Stand