pandex with substance

Nothin' But Trouble (Geffen)

Blue Murder

By Kevin Gibson

Blue Murder comes across on the surface as one of those four-guys-with-long-hair-and-tight-pants heavy metal bands that love to booze it up, party righteously, and schmooze totally awesome babes.

Let the record show that appearances can be deceiving.

Along with a set of powerful originals with a more noble purpose than to glorify life on the West Coast, Blue Murder tosses in an excellent cover of Small Faces' "Itchycoo Park." It isn't half bad for a bunch of guys who don't button their shirts any higher than their navels.

The first song on the disc, "We All Fall Down," not only breaks your parents' heavy metal stereotype of promoting Satan and drugs and dismemberment of small animals, but actually takes a stance against substance abuse, and advises us to reach out to those who we see losing themselves in addiction:

She's looking for the dealer

She's trying to find some crack

Well, tell your little sister

Mama won't be coming back

Another form of suicide . . .

Sure, many of the eleven tracks on this album are based on 1980s metal hooks and are about love and too-hot-to-handle women, but after all, it's only rock 'n' roll.

And I like it.