When Diamond David Lee Roth left Van Halen, America held an open audition for a party band to serve out the rest of the 1980s.
Dolled-up rockers Poison stepped in and neatly filled the bill with anthems about rockin' all night and partyin' every day.
After guitarist C.C. DeVille stormed out in 1991, Poison was reduced to little more than amusing clips on VH1's "Behind the Music" and spokesmen for the lost tribe of hair bands.
Lead singer Bret Michaels takes a (small) step away from those days of ozone depletion with his solo disc, "Songs of Life."
Michaels and Poison play the Red River Valley Fair this Friday for the third year in a row.
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Whereas Poison was as much about flashy appearance, "Songs" is intended to be a stripped down, straight-ahead rock record. On that level, musically it succeeds. But as a reflection of Michaels' own experiences, it sounds like he's stuck in 1989.
"Menace to Society" is a fitting opener, roaring from the first note. But it's hard to be too sympathetic when Michaels complains about his boss as the disc is packed with pictures of the singer standing in front of screaming crowds or his car collection.
While Poison was essentially a party band, their strongest lasting impressions were the power ballads that took a less superficial look at life. On his own, Michaels presents "Raine," an ode to his daughter, and "One More Day," a song about Sept. 11. Ultimately, neither will flick a Bic lighter like "Every Rose Has a Thorn" or "Something to Believe In."
Boston's Damone taps into the same vein of adolescent energy Poison mined. Instead of partying it away, they funnel it into songs about relationships on their debut, "From the Attic."
Guitarist Dave Pino wrote the songs for a girl who dumped him, but sung by high school junior Noelle, they sound like grittier versions of "Sk8er Boi."
If Michaels' disc is derivative of Poison, Damone must have learned the finer points of three-minute blasts from their baby sitters, the Donnas.
Noelle may not have the snarl of Donna R., but her sweet cooing over crunching pop rhythms of "Up to You" sounds nowhere near as sappy as Ms. Lavigne.
Not trying to hide their age, Damone sings shamelessly about days "At the Mall," "Carwash Romance" and "Driveway." When Noelle cries "Who's that in your Chevelle?" you've got to believe someone's getting their name crossed off her notebook.
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Damone may not be doing anything new, but coming from Noelle, it still sounds so charming you hope she never grows up. When the 40-year-old Michaels sings "It's My Party," you have to wonder if he'll ever grow up.
Readers can reach Forum reporter John Lamb at (701) 241-5533
