Shock Denial Anger Acceptance
It's hard to imagine that this album's bleak-spirited songs, grinding modern rock tack, and contemporary production aura are all the products of a musician who scored his first American chart hit in 1972, then was written off again a decade later after a string of MTV-fueled hits--including the classic "Jessie's Girl." But this is indeed the same Rick Springfield, his former bubblegum-rock incarnation belied by a tough musical stance that would be the envy of many a rocker half his age. But one doesn't have to dissect the slinky, eastern-inflected guitar hooks and fat, thumping bass of the wry "Jesus Saves" (chorus: "Jesus saves white trash, baby like you") very far to find that Springfield's songwriting instincts remain rock-solid. It's just as surprising to find that this self-produced album is the product of ears that have been anything but dormant in recent years, and savvy--or is it idealistic?--enough to turn a spunky, thrashed-up take of theEasybeats' 60's jewel "I'll Make You Happy" into a bridge across the generations. Cynical ears may mistake it all for a pose; if so it's an acting job the former soap opera star should be proud of. --Jerry McCulley