This superb CD isn't what some might expect from a band that boasted former members of
Motley Crue and
Kiss. Given that singer
John Corabi had been with the Crue and guitarist
Bruce Kulick spent 12 years with
Kiss, some headbangers might have been hoping for some delightfully decadent and trashy heavy metal/hard rock. But let's not forget that Corabi's only album with the Crue, 1994's Motley Crue, was a major departure from the Crue's albums with
Vince Neil. And in fact, Union's main focus is forceful yet melodic alternative rock that has more in common with
Pearl Jam, Nirvana,
Soundgarden and
the Stone Temple Pilots than
Kiss or
Vince Neil-era Crue. "Love (I Don't Need It Anymore)" may allude to slick 1980s corporate rock, but "Heavy D...," "Tangerine" (not to be confused with either the
Led Zeppelin classic or jazzman
Jimmy Dorsey's 1940s big band hit), "Old Man Wise" and most of the other gems on this CD aren't unlike something you'd get from one of Seattle's alternative or grunge outfits of the 1990s. Corabi and Kulick sound like they were enjoying this unexpected direction a lot, and the result is one of 1998's strongest rock releases. ~ Alex Henderson