In a direct contradiction of its title, 1992's
Riskin' It All was about the safest album ever recorded by Danish cowpunk rockers
D:A:D. A surprisingly conservative creative holding pattern, it merely replicated the potent, cut-and-dried hard rock style of its lofty predecessor -- the excellent No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims -- but with disappointingly generic results. Out of a seemingly endless parade of enthusiastic but unremarkable rockers, only the first single, "Bad Craziness," and the irrepressible "Makin' Fun of Money" possess any real staying power, and it's rather telling that the reworked version of the old favorite "I Won't Cut My Hair" is arguably the album's best moment. Elsewhere,
D:A:D successfully apply their twangy guitar melodies to the country-flavored "Day of Wrong Moves," and the moving, downright depressing "Grow or Pay," but the bluesy acoustic number, "Down That Dusty 3rd World Road," falls hopelessly flat. Already on their record company's sh*t list due to horribly sub-par record sales,
Riskin' It All proved the death knell of
D:A:D's quest for world domination. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia