Poison (Artist) - Native Tongue
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Free Music Notes for Native Tongue
Free Music Review: Poison - Native Tongue
Hit: 5 Stars
Native Tongue is very under-rated. Second best Posion album besides "Flesh & Blood". Minus C.C. on this one, Kotzen gives it more of a dirty blues feel.Free Music Review: A worthy follow-up to Flesh and Blood
Hit: 4 Stars
80s rock bands didn't have it easy in the 90s. With the overnight popularity of Nirvana and Pearl Jam, just like that, almost instantly, bands like Motley Crue, Poison, Warrant, Skid Row, etc, were suddenly completely passe. Most old-school rockers probably didn't even know what hit them, as they went from the arenas to theatres in just a few short years.
In 1990 Poison were at the top of their game. That year saw the release of their third multi-platinum album "Flesh and Blood" and their first headlining arena tour. Songs like "Unskinny Bop" and "Something to Believe In" dominated MTV and Poison were one of the most popular bands of the very early 90s.
Unfortunately for Poison, however, in the fall of 1991 the band suffered two major blows. First was the release of Nirvana's "Nevermind" which completely changed the landscape of hard rock, and second was the departure of lead guitarist C.C. Deville.
Knowing full well that Poison's brand of power-pop, anthem-laden hard rock was out-of-touch with the times; the band sought a new direction. Guitar virtuoso Ritchie Kotzen was brought in as Deville's replacement, and in early 1992, the band started work on their new album.
Old-school hard rock and metal bands reacted differently to the musical sea change in the early 90s. Some bands like Motley Crue tried to embrace a current sound, whereas others, like Arcade (Stephan Pearcy's post RATT band) and Vince Neil lived in a vacuum, not acknowledging that anything had changed. Poison, however, took a different path. Rather than try to jump on a bandwagon or remain stagnant, the band attempted to mature, while at the same time keeping many elements of their signature sound intact. In early 1993, Poison's new album "Native Tongue" was finally released.
In some ways, "Native Tongue" sounds like the natural follow-up to "Flash and Blood." Listening to "Flesh and Blood" you can see where the band was going, incorporating elements of blues into their sound, along with some mature themes. The three minute sex-laden anthems that had so defined the band's first two albums were eschewed, in favor of longer songs with greater musical complexity. All this was done fairly successfully, as "Flesh and Blood" came of as a sincere, non-pretentious attempt for Poison to grow as artists.
"Native Tongue" sees Poison delve further into the bluesy ballad/anthem territory that made its mark on "Flesh and Blood." Gone, however, with the departure of Deville is the power-pop styling that defined the band's sound on their first three albums. Kotzen, a far more technically proficient guitarist, gives the album rapid-fire riffs and solos, far more complex than anything the band had seen before. Kotzen's writing on the album is apparent, as the band's level of musical sophistication increased significantly. Many of the band's key signature elements are still in place, however, such as strong harmonies and sing-along choruses.
The album's title track, "Native Tongue" is a short drum instrumental with effects, and sounds like theme music from "King Kong" setting the mood of the album. Injustice is addressed in "The Scream," a would-be arena anthem which makes for a great opening song. The album's first single and minor hit "Stand," written around the time of the L.A. riots, is another attempt to look at prejudice and inequality. A soft-spoken balled with force and a church choir, the song is ambitious and effective. The mid-tempo "Stay Alive," is a pretty good rocker that keeps up the momentum. One of the album's strongest songs "Until You Suffer Some (Fire and Ice)" is a balled that Bon Jovi could only dream of writing. The rocking "Body Talk" and "Bring it Home" are good, although the latter sounds a little flat. The album mixes it up a bit with "7 Days Over You," featuring a horn section, which works quite well. "Ritchie's Acoustic Thang" is a short instrumental that's pretty cool. Another very strong track "Ain't that the truth" is quite catchy and would have been a good choice to use as a single. The balled "Theatre of the Soul" sounds like a mature update of "Every Rose has its Thorn." "Strike up the band" sounds like a gritty remake of "Ride the Wind;" although not as good, it's still effective. "Ride Child Ride" is a good, if not great rocker. "Blind Faith," another more lyrically mature song about taking chances and having confidence, is another very strong song. The bluesy closing "Bastard Song of a Thousand Blues" is good, if not overly long.
Although "Native Tongue" was an earnest attempt to mature and stay relevant, the album unfortunately bombed. Kotzen was soon fired from the band for sleeping with drummer Rikki Rocket's girlfriend and the album was soon forgotten. Throughout most of the 90s "Native Tongue" sat in the cut-out bin next to Vince Neil's "Exposed," (1993) Motley Crue's self-titled (1994) album and David Lee Roth's "A Little Ain't Enough." Today the album is ignored by the band themselves, as they play only "Stand" live; and even then only occasionally.
While "Native Tongue" may not be a masterpiece, it's still a pretty good album, one that deserves to be heard. If you see a used copy lying around, give it a chance.
Free Music Review: The only Poison album you'll need
Hit: 4 Stars
I own the Greatest Hits CD and the Crack A Smile CD, but this one is really all the Poison you'll need. I didn't think they had it in them, or should I say I didnt think Bret Micheals had it in him to actually sing with passion and dignity instead of about hot girls and party-hardy nights. Native Tongue shows Poison putting some guts in thier work for the first time, and with the slight exception of some cuts off of Crack, the only time. My biggest reason for loving this album? It's HEAVY, it actually bothers to ROCK. It's a much more powerful Poison than ever before and it came just at the right time for metal, circa 1993. Great solo's and a bluesy guitar just scream and the songwriting has real depth, like maybe the band decided to think about what they were writing about. If you hate Poison this one might change your mind. I like Poison, but still find thier very watery 80s pop-metal annoying and in need of some new hairspray. Native Tongue is your answer. Check out these tracks: "Stay Alive", "Body Talk", "Bring It Home", "Ain't That The Truth" "Bastard Son of A Thousand of a Thousand Blues", man Bret sounds good on that, and you won't catch me saying that that often. Check it out, man you'll be surprised at this album, oh yeah, then, go buy it.Free Music Review: Great Poison - an Oxymoron
Hit: 4 Stars
This is one of those CDs that if you've not specifically heard all of it, or some of the songs on it, you might not give it a try. Not sure why this CD wasn't more popular, but could be because of the change in musicians. Poison hit the rock scene a bit after I began listening to rock music. I was looking for new sounds that perhaps I didn't give enough credence to in the first place. This is one of them. I am, and always will be, a classic rock fan - and in some circles, perhaps this CD will become a classic for Poison. Although the magic didn't last long with Kotzen leading the way, Native Tongue is in my opinion, the best they did. My favorite cut is "Bastard Son Of A Thousand Blues," which just plain rocks. If you're not a Poison fan, which I wasn't either, listen to this CD and you might find it more than you imagined Poison being capable of doing. "Theatre Of The Soul" will move you too.Free Music Review: I was proud of the guys
Hit: 4 Stars
I know it must have been such a shock for the guys in Poison to experience C.C.'s departure. Considering all the years they had been together! I was really proud of the guys for 'picking up the pieces,' moving forward and putting out this new album. I was attending college at the time and a local radio station broadcast the entire album live from start to finish. It was late at night but I still wanted to stay up to hear the new disc. Although "Native Tongue" Poison was certainly a different sounding band than their prior records, I was pleased with the results. Years later I am still fascinated with these songs, especially, "Bastard Son of 1000 blues," "Theatre of the Soul" and "Until You Suffer Some."