First of all,
Half Cocked, based on their moniker, must fancy themselves as being quite clever, because the band is comprised of three men and three women -- get it, Half Cocked? It's a pun, sort of. At any rate, while the ladies and gentlemen of
Half Cocked may not have gravity defying, Aquanet caked hair, one would hardly know it by listening to their 2000 collection of, er, cock rock songs that would have been just as much at home in the mid-'80s alongside acts like
Poison. Actually, the ladies of
Half Cocked could probably kick
Bret Michaels' spandex clad behind, but that's neither here nor there. Comprised of tracks from the group' previously released records,
Occupation: Rock Star is full of songs driven by noodley metal guitar soloing, female vocals (courtesy of frontwoman Sarah Reitkopp, guitarist Jaime Richter, and bassist Jhen Kobran). While Reitkopp's vocals are stadium sized and avoid the unfortunate screech so many female rock singers adopt, the lyrics are so bland that it is difficult to have any respect for the band as "artists," though they are competent musicians. The songs are mostly just run of the mill sex, relationship, and rock star songs, but tracks like "Drive Away," with its big group chorus are catchy despite their lack of inventiveness. All said, the songs pretty much sound the same, and the glam rock wave they're trying to ride crashed over a decade ago, but those longing for the glittery excess of the '80s will really appreciate what
Half Cocked is trying to do. Bring your own Aquanet. Or just go find a
Hellacopters record instead. ~ Karen E. Graves