Poison - Native Tongue
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Free Music Notes for Native Tongue
Free Music Review: Not Poison - Which is a good reason to like it.
Hit: 5 Stars
Here's my thing: When you think of "Poison," you think of 80's glam/punk. This album is NOT from that, ummmm, idiom. The songs on Native Tongue are just damn good - meaningful lyrics, mature song structures, and loaded with hooks. The guitars are both blues-inflected and shred-era based, which makes Richie's style and sound both fresh and familiar at the same time. This album is NOT the Poison you may know and love, but then, for me that's a good thing.Free Music Review: A worthy follow-up to Flash & 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: One of the Best
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the best Poison album ever. I was worried when CC left the band, but after listening to this album, I was completely blown away. Richie is an awesome musician, and his contribution to this album is priceless. On this album, the Poison sound is taken to a new, more matured level, which I really liked.Free Music Review: Wow. This isn't the party band from 1986!
Hit: 5 Stars
I hate to fall on the typical and say that this isn't "really Poison", but the truth is, it's just not. This album sticks out like a sore thumb in their catalog, but only because it so different from anything else they've done. In case you don't know, CC Deville had left the band and they picked up six string hero Richie Kotzen to replace him. Kotzen is an amazing talent and it really shows on this album. There is a great blues feel and maturity on this album that few other hard rock albums can touch.
The highlights on this fantastic album are `Stand', `The Scream', `Until You Suffer Some', `7 Days Over You', and the AMAZING `Theatre Of The Soul'. There isn't a weak track on the album, Richie Kotzen's presence shines through, the maturity of the song writing is undeniable and the rest of the band really stepped up to deliver something quite different from what they were known for prior. Just an amazing album, pick it up, you won't be disappointed.
Free Music Review: Amazing and Fresh Sound
Hit: 5 Stars
When you hear the first three albums of Poison with CC in it, you dont know when a song stops and when the next one starts. It all sounds the same. There are some cool party anthems but it gets pretty boring and highly predictable. Native Tongue is absolutely amazing. Ritchie Kotzen fires up the album with terrific Blues Influenced playing and his solos show his mastery of styles of Rock, Blues, Funk and NeoClassical. His playing is also so fluid and effortless than you begin thinking it's so easy to play unless you have a clue to how to play guitar. This one is a Master Piece.
Get it. Even if you have the Slightest Idea of the kind of player Ritchie Kotzen is, you will know that CC is nothing other than a bunch of happy tunes...