Though
Alice Cooper's 1989 comeback gave him his first hit album in over a decade, the
Trash record left some diehard fans disappointed, as did 1991's
Hey Stoopid. Many listeners felt that
Cooper had sold himself short, now completely focusing on sleazy sexual anthems, making him just another face in the heavy metal crowd. By the time
The Last Temptation was released in 1994, the hair band fad that had fueled
Cooper's return was dead, and
Cooper was obviously aware of its downfall -- the album sounds almost nothing like its two predecessors. Instead of relating to such albums as
Motley Crue's
Dr. Feelgood,
Last Temptation seems more similar to
Ozzy Osbourne's
No More Tears. Thematically, the record returns to mostly conceptual songs, such as "Nothing's Free," "You're My Temptation," and "Cleansed by Fire." Though the album still has a few goofy interruptions, such anthems as "Lost in America" nonetheless boast more originality than anything off of
Hey Stoopid or
Trash. Far surpassing anything
Cooper recorded in almost 20 years,
The Last Temptation is unquestionably some of his best work. ~ Barry Weber