Alice Cooper – Paranormal
EARmusic
http://www.ear-music.net/

Rating: A

I read somewhere that Alice Cooper “shows no sign of growing old”.

Paranormal – his 27th album – is undeniable proof of that. Cooper is in top form and together with producer Bob Ezrin came up with one of the best albums of the year. And this deluxe edition – with an additional second disc – makes it even better.

There are rockers galore for every fan of Alice Cooper, but I gotta highlight “Paranormal” (and its bursting guitars and the fact that the bass is played by Deep Purple's Roger Glover.)  I have to also mention the killer drums by U2’s Larry Muller Jr., who actually handled all drums on the album with the exception of “Rats”. The album continues strong with the infectious “Dead Flies” and the catchy “Fireball” (it sounds as if it’d been recorded in the early 90’s). Those three tracks alone are worth the price of the album.

But if you’re looking for more reasons to invest your money on this album, I can gladly mention “Paranoiac Personality” (with its great bass line and guitar riff), the awesome “Falling In Love” (with killer guitar work by ZZ Top’s own Billy Gibbons) and the frantic “Dynamite Road”, a clear example of Cooper’s tenacity.

Uh, but there’s more!!!

“Private Public Breakdown” is a good song with classic structure. While it’s not a highlight, it surely ain’t an embarassing moment either, “Holy Water” shows Cooper’s showmanship as he adds an unusual horn section to the song, but makes it work perfectly alongside the traditional guitar/bass/drums format.

Finally, “Rats” and “The Sound Of A” wrap the album with that classic, old-school rock Alice Cooper became famous for, though the first one is a fast-paced anthem, while the latter is a softer, more melodic track.

The deluxe edition comes with a second disc filled with fantastic surprises, especially “Genuine American Girl” and “You And All Of Your Friends”, both written with Cooper’s fromer bandmates Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith and Michael Bruce. Believe me folks, the magic is still there!

And there are also killer live versions of such classics as “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, “Billion Dollar Babies”, “Feed My Frankenstein” and “School’s Out”.

So, there’s no way a serious rock enthusiast will let Paranormal pass him/her by this year. A fantastic album, A to Z, filled with a raw rock vibe we haven’t been coming across too often lately.

Paranormal is, definetly, a must-have.

Tracklist
DISC 1
01 - Paranormal (Featuring Roger Glover)
02 - Dead Flies
03 - Fireball
04 - Paranoiac Personality
05 - Fallen In Love (Featuring Billy Gibbons)
06 - Dynamite Road
07 - Private Public Breakdown
08 - Holy Water
09 - Rats
10 - The Sound of A

DISC 2
New songs written & performed by
The Original Alice Cooper Band:
01 - Genuine American Girl
02 - You and All of Your Friends
        LIVE IN COLUMBUS
03 - No More Mr. Nice Guy
04 - Under My Wheels
05 - Billion Dollar Babies
06 - Feed My Frankenstein
07 - Only Women Bleed
08 - School's Out

By Juliano Mallon