Enuff Z’Nuff – Clowns Lounge

Frontiers Records - 2nd December 2016

 

1.  Dog On a Bone
2.  Runaway
3.  Back in Time
4.  She Makes It Harder
5.  Rockabye Dreamland
6.  The Devil of Shakespeare
7.  Radio
8.  Good Luv
9.  Round and Round
10.  Nothing
11.  Backstreet Kidz
12.  One More Hit
Japanese bonus track
13.  Dog On a Bone [Different Version] Chip Z’nuff (vocals/bass/guitar)
Tony Fennell (guitar/vocals)
Tory Stoffregen (lead guitar/vocals
Erik Donner (drums/vocals)
When is a new album not a new album? When it is a collection of old unreleased tracks
dating back to 1988-89 as this is. These are all demos that came from the sessions when
Enuff Z’Nuff were demoing tracks for their debut album. All have been re-recorded with the
current line up although a couple of the tracks have original work from original members
plus a couple of big names appear on another track. Confused ? Hopefully you won`t be after this.

Opener DOG WITH A BONE is the only brand new track on offer here and is typically catchy
ENUFF Z`NUFF albeit with a slightly heavier and beefier guitar backing to it than usual. It’s an impressive start.

RUNAWAY begins with a crunchingly heavy intro before settling down into what the band do best: a mid tempo track which would have suited DONNIE`S voice perfectly if he’d been singing.

Sonically it`s not hard to tell this is a collection of older tracks as any one of these could have featured on any of their early albums. No-one quite writes songs like they do. From the background harmonies on BACK IN TIME to the thumping album closer ONE MORE HIT, they have always had a knack of writing some great songs.

Most interesting perhaps is THE DEVIL OF SHAKESPEARE featuring the late JANI LANE and JAMES YOUNG from STYX.Very few bands have been able to switch styles as easily as they have. From out and out rockers to the ballads, from their own distinctive sound to tracks THE BEATLES could have written.

The stand out here is easily ROCKABYE DREAMLAND which features the classic line up of  Vie/Z’Nuff/Frigo and Foxx and really is another gem.

There are a couple of tracks here that don`t quite make the grade but any ENUFF Z`NUFF
is better than none at all. Whether we will ever see another album with DONNIE VIE is the big question. He is/was a huge and very important part of the band. They may have had to endure a lot over the years: they have been through death, line-up changes and more labels than most bands, yet they are still around.  A true testament to the enduring spirit.

3/5

by Steve Warsap