Alice Cooper – ‘Road’ album review: a look at touring life
At this point, Alice Cooper doesn’t need to prove his rock and roll chops to anyone else. Considering his pedigree as one of the founders of shock rock, Cooper could have easily retired in the 1990s and still been considered a pioneer of rock and roll and a staple of classic rock radio. Now, with the new album Road, what does Cooper’s approach to horror look like these days?
Taking to the studio with his touring band, Road functions as a pseudo-concept album about what life was like in the glory days of rock and roll. Operating like a stage entrance, the first few songs feel like the calm before the storm, with Cooper introducing himself to the crowd on ‘I’m Alice’ and ‘Welcome to the Show’.
Although Cooper does have that same gravelly tone that made albums like Love It To Death and Welcome to My Nightmare so spectacular, the star of the show throughout most of the record tends to be his backing band. Across the album, the guitar work from Nita Strauss is a perfect blend of vintage rock and technical flair, especially when taking solos that are midway between Chuck Berry and Eddie Van Halen.
Even though the album could quickly go down the road of being nostalgic for nostalgia’s sake, Cooper puts more flair into his performances than ever before. Compared to the plodding nature of a handful of his contemporaries, songs like ‘White Line Frankenstein’ are a good update of the macabre characters that populated Cooper’s classic material. All Wayne’s World fans rejoice!
There are even a few subtle reminders about what the rock and roll lifestyle can do to a person. On ‘Rules of the Road’, Cooper talks about the lessons he learned as a living rock and roll legend. During the bridge, though, Cooper reminds listeners that it isn’t for everybody, saying that if someone follows all the rules of the road, they will be six feet underground by the time they’re 27.
Then again, there are a few songs in which Cooper shows his age too much. Compared to the usual juvenile tracks on albums like Killer, a song like ‘Big Boots’ is too goofy for its own good, filled with the most basic double-entendres one could muster. ‘Go Away’ is also one of the few snoozers on the record, featuring Cooper screaming like a disgruntled child that his loving flame won’t leave him alone. It might keep with the character, but it gets monotonous in context.
While those moments crop up on a handful of tracks, Cooper makes up for it with the ballad towards the end of the record, ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’. In the grand tradition of ‘Only Women Bleed’ and ‘Take It Like a Woman’, Cooper talks about how much it hurts to leave his lover to return to the road all over again. Even though the travelling man lifestyle is the unspoken rule of a rock star, this delicate moment is a good indication of what it costs as well.
Capping things off with a cover of The Who’s ‘Magic Bus’, Cooper at least leaves the audience on a good note, turning in a performance that may as well be a tribute to what the touring lifestyle meant to him as a young boy in Detroit. Featuring crowd applause, the song never overstays its welcome and keeps the listener satisfied from front to end.
Although this is far from Cooper’s greatest album to date, Road has more than a few great moments that will keep hardcore fans satisfied. Considering how long he’s been playing, Cooper could easily use this album to wrap up his career, making one final bow with an ode to the life that made him a star. Then again, judging by the lyrics of ‘Road Rats Forever’, it doesn’t look like the king of shock rock wants to hang it up until he’s six feet underground.
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