If 2005's album of covers
Copycat Killers cast doubts on
Cobra Verde's ability to generate worthwhile new material, 2008's
Haven't Slept All Year sets the record straight -- Cleveland's masters of rock & roll swagger are still kicking out the jams, serving up 12 new tunes that deliver a bit of glam, a side portion of hard rock, some punky sneer for seasoning, and a whole lot of guitar and melodic hooks to hold the whole thing together.
Haven't Slept All Year jumps out of the starting blocks with the arena-ready "World Can't Have Her" and makes plenty of detours over the course of its 35 minutes, from the country accents of "Free Ride," the pop-punk energy of "Riot in the Foodcourt," and the horn-buffered pop of "Wildweed" to the folk-rock jangle of "Haunted Heavens" and the jungle drums and off-kilter sound effects of "I Could Go to Hell for You." But the vocal thunder of John Petkovic and the crunchy guitars of Petkovic, Tim Parnin, and Frank Vazzano give this a tough and satisfying aural consistency, and as on their best work,
Haven't Slept All Year makes
Cobra Verde sound like first-caliber rock stars, even if the charts aren't aware of it yet. Amidst these tales of epic women and world-class partying is the sound of a band that embraces rock in the classic style, with humor but without irony, and
Haven't Slept All Year would sound just fine bursting from the speakers of a jacked-up muscle car rolling through the Midwest on a Friday night, though if you own a more sensible ride somewhere else, you'll still find this will satisfy your rock & roll needs and then some. ~ Mark Deming