H R H - R E V I E W S

Hollywood Hairspray 6
Perris Records

Comments: Perris Records yearly new music compilation, Hollywood Hairspray, is already up to number six. All of the other compilations offered the listener some great new bands, and also, some sub par ones. Hollywood Hairspray 5 was the first time many fans heard the band Silver Dirt, who should be moving on to big things, and Hollywood Hairspray 3 introduced the star-crossed band Crash Diet, who could have been one of the biggest rock bands in the world today. On Hollywood Hairspray 4, Teenage Casket Company was the one to turn heads. Unfortunately, Hollywood Hairspray 6 doesn't feature that ONE BAND to really yank your crank. On the opposite side of that coin, though, there isn't a shitty song on here.

Hollywood Hairspray 6 takes off with Joker Five Speed's "Everybody's Alright." This is the perfect party song to get things moving. Their sound is part pop punk, part KISS, and all good. The production on some of the prior releases was shaky at times, but this song sounds top notch. "Everybody's Alright" is a simple, guitar heavy anthem that is the second best on the whole CD, next to Demon Angels' "Gonna Get It."

Drinking alcohol is extremely important. Just ask the band Wolfchild. Their song, "One Woman," is an ode to partying, to drinking, and to getting pussy-whipped. "Hey mama, you want drama, it ain't hard to see … I'm easy, so don't tease me, just get out of my way." The singer has a deep voice with a slightly European accent, and the music is AC/DC cool. Another winner.

Isn't a "brutal pancho" something like a "filthy Ramirez?" Some sort of weird, sexual maneuver? Regardless, the band Brutal Pancho rips things up with their track, "Rock Hard N Ready." The quality on the first, hell, 10 tracks on this release is amazing. Nothing blows you away, but everything is good, and so is Brutal Pancho.

An upbeat track with a Poison-like guitar intro comes from Billion Dollar Babies' "Right on Time." Hollywood Hairspray 6 has truly combined feel-good hair metal with strong compositions from a myriad of bands. Billion Dollar Babies features another singer who doesn't stretch for the high notes. In fact, you won't really find a screamer on this whole CD.

Fuoriuso's "Sexy Teens" is by far the heaviest, grungiest song on the release. It's also one of the worst, but it's still not bad. The opening guitar riff is heavy as hell, chunky, and maybe if they didn't call the song "Sexy Teens" it wouldn't seem cheesy in spite of the calamity it creates.

The punk side of the hair metal movement comes to light with the Erotics' oddly titled "I Like It They Way U Hate Me." Doesn't really roll off the tongue, but it makes sense when you hear the chorus. This song is all snarl and sleaze, with droning guitar rhythms and a brief but biting guitar solo. Cool track.

By the time you get to track 10, with Checkpoint Charlie's "Rock 'N' Roll Tonight," you'll be wondering if they can keep up the quality. And they do. This is another KISS-inspired anthem, with a singer who sounds like a hoarse Paul Stanley. Crack eight beers and keep listening, though, cuz the best is yet to come.

There are basically two songs that are skip-worthy, out of 16 songs. The first is the noisy song from Hollywood Vampires, and the shocker is the new track from Mother Mercy. Mother Mercy released an AWESOME CD on Perris Records a few years ago, but their "Devil's Tool" pales in comparison to what they've done before. The production muddies the sound, the guitars are too upfront, and you can barely hear R.J., if he is the same singer. This may have been a demo they just added, but Mother Mercy is better than this.

And yes, Hollywood Hairspray 6 saved the best for last. All of the other bands sound a little rough around the edges-in a good way-but Demon Angels, featuring the golden voice of Robin McAuley, is all polish. Their song, "Gonna Get It" is the bonus track, and what a freakin' bonus. This song would have been a number one song in the U.S. back when good music ruled the airwaves. McAuley screams, sings, and really makes you sad that he joined Survivor and isn't sticking with Demon Angels. Great songwriting, excellent guitars, stellar drumming, wicked hooks … "Gonna Get It" stands alone.

Out of the Hollywood Hairsprays thus far, 6 has the highest quality all the way through. You won't hit skip, except once or twice, and every song is different than the previous one but just as good. Topping it off with Demon Angels was a smart move. Also, you can see through the cover model's clothes. If all those other reasons weren't reason enough to buy Hollywood Hairspray 6, that is the clincher.

www.perrisrecords.com

Track listing:
1. Joker Five Speed "Everybody"s Alright"
2. Wolfchild "One Woman"
3. Star Rats "The Devil and I"
4. Brutal Pancho "Rock Hard n Ready"
5. Billion Dollar Babies "Right On Time"
6. Deadly Tide "King Of The World"
7. Rockarma "Rock All Night"
8. Fuoriuso "Sexy Teens"
9. The Erotics "I Like It The Way U Hate Me"
10. Checkpoint Charlie "Rock "n" Roll Tonight"
11. The Shine "Heavy Gretal"
12. Hollywood Vampires "Greedy Train"
13. Fuel From Hell "Heartbreaker"
14. Mother Mercy "Devil"s Tool"
15. Pussy Sisster "Sleazy Things"
16. Demon Angels "Gonna Get It"

HRH Rating: 7.7/10

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