Enuff Z’nuff – Clowns Lounge

[schema type=”review” name=”Enuff Z’nuff – Clowns Lounge” description=”Label: Frontiers Records” author=”Sarp Esin” pubdate=”2017-12-02″ ]

What happens when a band that’s been around since the tail end of the 80’s gets to the 2010’s intact? They gotta rock hard to avoid looking like clowns.  Let’s see if they’ll make us smile.

Enuff Z’Nuff is one of those names that tends to pop up when talking about glam metal and/or hard rock.  Synonymous with a mix of the two and certainly looking the part, the band ranks high among their peers and have kept it going since their debut in 1989.  Clowns Lounge is their latest offering, and it is many things, but one thing that it isn’t is a new album.  It’s just a collection of previously unreleased tracks, rarities, demos, etc. recorded between 1982 – 1988, but it’s packaged as a new release.

Whichever the case, though…

Clowns Lounge is all about that mid-tempo hard rock, old school and closer to latter-day metal.  There are catchy riffs, rarely a hook without backing vocals chiming in, competent drumming, thick bass and really nice solos, all wrapped in an unhurried, nigh-unconcerned delivery.  It all works adequately for the most part, but the constant barrage of mid-tempo songs makes the album sag quite a bit, the songs more or less blending together until Good Luv, which, with its arena rock leanings, makes way for something still at the same speed, but has more potency.

Speaking of, every song after Good Luv tends to alternate between being technically competent  and way too poppy for its own good, but what’s certain is that all the variety of the collection seems to be stacked up after that point.  The post-Track 8 Clowns Lounge gets a bit more distinctive than what came before, ending with the aptly-named and actually pretty sweet One More Hit at the very end, which works in its favor if you hold on.  Structurally speaking, the album is not all that good.

Apart from that, the release has two major flaws that mar it, despite the overall work being pretty damn good.  For one, it sounds very, very dated.  She Makes It Harder or Back in Time, for instance, sound like they were taken from the credits scene of any given 80’s high school / teen movie.  It’s good for waxing nostalgic, but the whole alternative-soundtrack-to-Footloose vibe can’t be sustained for long, especially with song after song after song of pretty much the same.

The second weakness is the display of how this could have been avoided, especially with the two (relatively) new tracks on the collection.  The opener, Dog On a Bone while still in tune with most of the songs that immediately succeed it, carries a very subtle, very modern edge, despite being produced in the same way as the rest of Clowns Lounge.  Further, The Devil of Shakespeare (recorded in 2004) sticks out like sore thumb with its prog rock leanings, Hammond organ support, tasteful licks, and a carnival-esque feel that reminds one of the likes of Bigelf.  It’s a wonderful song, more than a cut above all the rest it shares a space with.

All-in-all, though, for a non-album, Clowns Lounge is actually pretty nice.  It has its flaws, of course, but so does everyone.  If you were a Enuff Z’Nuff fan, it’s likely to tickle your fancy and if this is the first you’ve heard of ’em then it’s likely to get you either curious about their work, or at least give you an idea as to what it sounds like.  So go for it.

Line-up:
Donnie Vie – Vocals, guitars, piano
Chip Z’nuff – Vocals, bass
Derek Frigo – Lead guitar
Vikki Foxx – drums

Tracklist: 01. Dog on a Bone 02. Runaway 03. Back in Time 04. She Makes It Harder 05. Rockabye Dreamland 06. The Devil of Shakespeare 07. Radio 08. Good Luv 09. Round and Round 10. Nothing 11. Backstreet Kidz 12. One More Hit

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