Saigon Kick's biggest problem musically and visually, was not knowing whether they wanted to be
Jane's Addiction or
Def Leppard. The band tries desperately to please everyone and though they obviously fail, their 1991 eponymous debut still features very inspired songwriting and some amazing chops from guitarist Jason Bieler. In short, the record offers everything from
U2-styled, socially-conscious rock ("Colors" to "Come Take Me Now"), raucous punk ("What do You Do," "Acid Rain"), ponderous pop ballads ("Love of God"), and even a couple of hilarious pop ditties: the neurotic "My Life" and the homo-erotic "Down by the Ocean." Mostly, however, the group shells out numerous heavy metal varieties, including classics ("Coming Home," "Ugly"), a "bad pop MTV submission" ("What You Say"), and even some Eastern-flavored, trance metal ("New World"). Whew! ~ Eduardo Rivadavia