Za-Za starts out with a bang, but the scattershot approach to stardom (copping
AC/DC's attitude with petty theft of
Van Halen's playfulness and
Bon Jovi's ballads) seems like a desperate measure; after all, Warner Bros. banked on
Bulletboys to be a leader, not a follower. That's fine for some folks who look at the L.A. metal scene as a source of good, consistent product, but most fans were just as happy to get their fix from longstanding acts like
Mötley Crüe and
Ratt. Producer Ted Templeman (a veteran of
Van Halen, whom
Bulletboys were pegged to succeed early in their career) gives the record plenty of pop/metal punch, placing them somewhere between
Cheap Trick (on the Templeman-produced
Woke up With a Monster) and
Jackyl in terms of menacing posture. If
Za-Za is only so-so, it's because the track placement undermines the momentum built up at the beginning. The opening "When Pigs Fly" is a scorching kissoff, taunting pop/metal that Templeman brought with him to the subsequent
Cheap Trick sessions. "Slow and Easy" introduces elements of
Living Colour and
Primus into the music, and the band continues to embrace the cutting edge with "The Rising." But just when you think you've got them pegged,
Bulletboys spin the clock back ten years with a lame ballad, "Sing a Song"; channels the spirit of
Steve Perry ("Mine"); and ends up with an
AC/DC screamer that's juvenile even by their standards ("1-800-GOODBYE"). Midway into
Za-Za, it's unclear what
Bulletboys are after; while the rest of the songs are generally good, they feel disingenuous after so many costume changes. As it turned out, this was
Bulletboys' last shot with a major label. And so one more studio science project to create the perfect band winds up in the scrap heap. ~ Dave Connolly