David Lee Roth
A Little Ain`t Enough (Warner) (STAR)
”A Little Ain`t Enough” says it all. Roth`s signature has been excess ever since his karate-kick dancing and rogue-about-town singing turned Van Halen into MTV superheroes. Van Halen hasn`t been the same since he left, and Roth`s solo albums have been lackluster, salvaged only by his sense of humor. ”A Little” dispenses with the studio gloss of earlier efforts for a dirtier hard-rock sound. Unlike many of today`s thrash-metal outfits, Roth`s best music is rooted in the blues, and the slide guitar played by Steve Hunter (of Alice Cooper and Lou Reed fame) is a welcome addition here. Otherwise, the band sounds like a slightly grungier version of Whitesnake: the usual showoff guitar squeals from Jason Becker (I wish Hunter had played more lead) and drumming by Gregg Bissonette that evokes a herd of charging elephants. Mostly, this CD is Dave celebrating the wonder of being Dave, a man whose entire world is defined by his groin. ”Drop in the Bucket” is the Yellow Pages of sexual double entendres, and only one song-”It`s Showtime!”-isn`t preoccupied with libidinal impulses. When he commands the object of his desires to ”shut your mouth and hit the floor” on ”Shoot It,” not even humor can save him from his own crassness.
Ratings:
Excellent (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Good (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Fair (STAR)(STAR)
Poor (STAR)
