Released to coincide with the veteran pop metal outfit’s 25th anniversary, Capitol/EMI's two-disc,
Double Dose: Ultimate Hits Poison collection features 35 tracks, including classic singles like “Every Rose Has Its Thorn," “Talk Dirty To Me,” "Unskinny Bop,” and "Something to Believe In." To be fair,
Poison hardly had enough “hits” to warrant a two-disc “hits” collection, but the group’s amiable blend of lip-glossed glam and stadium balladry was almost always listenable. Wisely, much of the material is culled from the band’s early days, with fan favorites like “I Want Action” and “Look What the Cat Dragged In” leading the charge. The myriad covers songs from 2007’s
Poison'd! feel a little tacked on and opportunistic (much like the record itself), but this is the band that wanted “Nothin' But a Good Time," and this walk down memory lane proves that they more than lived up to their end of the bargain. ~ James Christopher Monger