 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Review of Tommyland: The Ride
Music Review: Tommy Lee - Tommyland: The Ride Written by tink Published December 30, 2006 See also: » One Track Mind: Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Orchestra "Gazzelloni" » Retro Redux: Willie Nelson - The Early Years » Music Review: Lee "Scratch" Perry - Panic in Babylon
Leave it to musician Tommy Lee to put out a soundtrack album with a twist. Tommyland: The Ride isn't just the offshoot product of a movie or television show or some other marketing tie-in. It's the music that goes hand-in-hand with Mr. Lee's autobiographical book Tommyland. And like any other great O.S.T.s, it tells a story all by itself.
If, in Tommy's own words, the point of Tommyland (the book) was to "paint you a picture of my life, and show you how it smells." then The Ride in turn must let you eavesdrop into what he hears in his head. And it does...in a manner surprising to many.
Case in point. A while back, one of the nephews came over to our house and I had Tommyland: The Ride in our CD player. Halfway through the first track, "Good Times", he stopped the conversation to ask about what we were listening to. Playing devil's advocate, I asked him who he thought it was and, just to be fair, I restarted the disc and cranked it up. He had no idea. After being told who it was, his response was "Tommy? Tommy Lee?? As in Motley Crue and Methods of Mayhem??? WOW! I gotta get this."
But I digress. Or do I? Tommyland: The Ride is not like any project that this drummer has been involved with in the past and that's a fact. And like the book, it offers insight into Tommy Lee, famous or otherwise.
Along for The Ride musically are quite a few musicians of their own fame. Jane's Addiction/Red Hot Chili Peppers/Panic Channel guitarist Dave Navarro, singer/songwriter/producer Butch Walker and The Cult/Camp Freddy guitar player Billy Morrison are only three on the long list of contributing string-slingers on board. Butch also takes part in the vocal duties as do Andrew McMahon (Something Corporate), Nick Carter (the Backstreet Boys), Joel Madden (Good Charlotte) and others. I'm leaving out many others, but only because to name them all, and their credits, is a daunting task.
Stylistically it's a fine study into the pop-rock genre. Both ballads and rockers are present, each tune with its own merits. And overall, it reminds me in part of Elvis Costello's early career days as the tunes are quite catchy yet the lyrics don't always paint a pleasing picture.
"Good Times" is a great start to the album. The beginning acoustic licks blend with a beat that is infectious, so much so that whenever I listen to the CD (which I have frequently since I got it) I have to hit the 'repeat track' button for at least five or six plays of this song in a row. The lyrics are part hopeful, part pensive and are easy to relate to. This should have been a hit single.
The price one pays for being famous is the subject matter in the rocker "Tryin' To Be Me". These lyrics sum it up fairly well: "Some days I find that even I don't wanna be me. Just tryin' to be me. Why don't they leave me the hell alone?". And it's not only the paparazzi to blame. As Tommy points out, everyone seems to have a cell phone with a camera these days. As he walks down the street or stops to have a drink, nowadays it seems like everyone has him in their sights.
The track "Make Believe" is a prime example of that contradiction I mentioned earlier. The song itself is a strong ballad with a stirring melody that sticks in the memory. The lyrics tell of a lover in the flux of uncertainty, unsure of where his partner is coming from. It's like a prettily wrapped package that hides all the doubt inside.
There is one song on the CD that seems to have grabbed the attention of all comers, probably because every one of us has been through this situation at least once or twice. The upbeat "Tired" is a tirade on the downside of relationships as well as a cheeky look at celebrity romance. Comfortable with self-effacing humor, Tommy sings of love gone down the drain and the lyrics include a nod to his own past with Pamela Anderson. Can you relate to a relationship that had the beginnings of being epic yet dwindled into nothing? I knew that you could.
Now I could go ahead and give you my blow-by-blow of all the remaining songs on Tommyland: The Ride. But I'm not going to. And it's not because the rest of them are filler either, because across the board, I think that each song is solid. In fact, the whole CD is well worth the price of admission to Mr. Lee's theme park of life. Discover it for yourself.
Tommyland: The Ride highlights only a few of his many talents, by the way. He's also a founding member of RockStar SuperNova. He and his RS SN bandmates start touring soon, beginning New Year's Eve, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Email this •
TINK, BLOGCRITICS
2006