(MENAFN- Arab Times) Alice Cooper has made a career out of keeping the creepiness front and center in hard rock.
His latest project Hollywood Vampires - a true supergroup including Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and actor-guitarist Johnny Depp - is an outgrowth of his most recent "Raise the Dead" tour, which featured Cooper covering classic rock songs from bands who had a member die from drug or alcohol abuse. Offerings include covers of The Doors (Jim Morrison), The Who (Keith Moon), Led Zeppelin (John Bonham) and T-Rex (Marc Bolan).
Cameos from classic rock legends abound here, as well, including contributions from Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, Zak Starkey, AC/DC's Brian Johnson, Perry Farrell, Robby Krieger and Dave Grohl. Most (but not all) the tracks are from artists who saw members die from substance abuse. Among the strongest on "Hollywood Vampires" are a pounding cover of The Who's "My Generation," a Krieger-powered Doors medley of "Five to One/Break on Through," and a version of T-Rex's "Jeepster" that manages to be heavy and pop-y all at once.
Cooper's nasal sneer is perfect on Three Dog Night's "One," and Perry's slashing guitar powers the still-iconic "Cold Turkey," John Lennon's ode to drug withdrawal.
The band title refers to a '70s drinking club Cooper was part of that also included Lennon, Moon, Harry Nilsson, Bernie Taupin and Micky Dolenz of the Monkees.
Brett Eldredge, "Illinois" (Atlantic/Warner Music Nashville)
Brett Eldredge's second album, "Illinois," is a bold gambit that works.
The broad-shouldered country singer achieved three hits on his 2013 debut, "Bring You Back." But the radio success didn't translate to huge sales or give him media attention afforded to fellow newcomers Sam Hunt or Maddie & Tae.
"Illinois" steps up Eldredge's game by highlighting his R&B interests. For instance, the adventurous first single "Lose My Mind" samples the contemporary Italian composers (brothers Gianfranco Reverberi and Gian Piero Reverberi) that pop duo Gnarls Barkley used on their 2006 hit, "Crazy."
"Illinois" succeeds across a variety of tempos and styles. "Lose It All" is a powerful, old-school ballad set to a 21st Century arrangement; "Time Well Spent" is a mid-tempo anthem for all those who work too much and play too little; and "Shadow" is closer in tone to Miranda Lambert's frisky roots-rock than to Jason Aldean's metal crunch.
With a stout and expressive voice, Eldredge previously has shown the potential to stand out among a crowded field of rising male country singers. "Illinois" gives that talent a more distinctive spotlight.
Dave Rawlings Machine, "Nashville Obsolete" (Acony Records)
Dave Rawlings' recent gigs with the Machine had an almost hootenanny feel, sprinkled with songs from the Machine's 2009 album, Dylan, Zeppelin and Levon Helm covers, as well as traditional tunes and bluegrass. They were an upbeat counterpart to the darkly contemplative music Rawlings and Gillian Welch make under her name, and left many Machine fans yearning for a similarly lively live album.
"Nashville Obsolete," Dave Rawlings Machine's new album, is not that record.
The title and eerie Daguerreotype-style album cover suggest a departure and entry into a Southern gothic realm, and the best songs confirm it, weaving languid, intricate tales of bodysnatchers, bad romances, rootlessness and broken dreams. Though just seven selections, recorded in Nashville, this isn't a slim album. At nearly 44 minutes, it's a vivid journey through a bedeviled, bygone world punctuated by Rawlings' mellow tenor and wicked picking, all grounded by Welch's plaintive harmony and steady strumming.
Odd and atmospheric, "Bodysnatchers" sounds nothing like the similarly titled Radiohead song, telling of sinister visitors to Mississippi River towns, with Welch's voice a haunting echo, and background strings an ominous vibe.
Old Crow Medicine Show co-founder Willie Watson, of the first Machine album and Rawlings' recent tour, contributes vocals and guitar to a few tracks, including "Short Haired Woman Blues," notable for a riff reminiscent of Neil Young's "My My, Hey Hey" and Dylan-esque vocals from Rawlings. Another Machine tour veteran, bass player Paul Kowert of Punch Brothers, also makes a guest appearance.
Brittany Haas, recently of progressive bluegrass band Crooked Still, adds a lush fiddle, most memorably on "The Trip," a nearly 11-minute saga also featuring Jordan Tice on mandolin. Rawlings and Welch open with dulcet instrumentals, and midway through, you'll be singing along with their wistful chorus: ""It's much too hard to try to live a lie at home."
Veteran heavy metal rockers Iron Maiden topped the British charts on Friday with their 16th studio album "Book of Souls," the Official Charts Company said.
The band, led by Bruce Dickinson, last topped the charts in summer 2010 with "The Final Frontier."
British singer Jess Glynne's "I Cry When I Laugh" held firm at Number 2 while last week's Number 1 from The Weeknd, "The Beauty Behind The Madness," slipped to third.
On the singles chart, London-based DJ Sigala scored his first No. 1 with "Easy Love." Canada's Justin Bieber was at two with "What do you Mean" and Jess Glynne at three with "Don't be so Hard on Yourself."
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