Jizzy Pearl’s Love/Hate

Album review by; - The Dark Cookie

I suspect most of us of a certain age remember LOVE/HATE for THAT early 90s, end of the Hair Metal heyday anthem, “Blackout in the Red Room”. Well, JIZZY has been keeping the flame alive, doing his thing solo and with other refugees from that much loved and maligned era, RATT, LA GUNS, ADLERS APPETITE and currently QUIET RIOT,

And now back under the JIZZYPEARL’s LOVE/HATE moniker, as Mr. P is LOVE/HATE these days. I mean it is isn’t easy to find out who played on the album, so I hope I have some of the details right! I do know our very own Stevie R Pearce (he of AND THE HOOLIGANS fame) laid down his meaty and nasty axe work on at lease five of these tunes. And what about the music?

Well, what we have here is 10 songs firmly rooted in the rock and roll of the past. All 3- 4-minute rock songs, with the exception of the most excellent “Lonely Days Are Gone” which clocks in at nearly 6!

From the bruising opening power-drive of “One Hot Minute”, JIZZY counting us in and then just letting fly! Its clear from the outset the man still got it! and the song is unrelenting. A face ripper to open the record. “Acid Babe” just keeps things going with its stop start, machine gun pacing. It keeps the pace going.

Don’t be fooled by the intro of “Gonna Take You Higher” into thinking we’ve already go to acoustic ballad number, oh no! it rock hard in an “Evil Twin” sort of way. “Soul Mama” does the same sort of thing, the same sort of way, which we should expect I suppose, and it is done very well, as does “Hard To Say Goodbye”, could fall into the same trap if not for the catchy chorus and super stellar guitars.

“When You Gonna Come Home” is of the same formula, heck if it ain’t broke don’t fix it I suppose, and it is good, the vocals are on point the band on song, and it is good.

“Last Chance” is a welcome gear-change. The song cleverly sounds like a dude admitting to his own personal screw-ups, but at the same time its broader about humanities fuck ups. A very cool slow one.

“Bruised And Battered” still nicely heavy, but has a more poppier feel to it, and one I really like. “Wanna Be Somebody” is not the TWISTED SISTER song of a similar name, it is another staccato ZEP-ish riff fest of a song, a bit weird in places, but just rocks on madly large guitars.

Leaving the aforementioned “Lonely Days are Gone”. A BIG song! A nasty blues riff, more vocal range from JIZZY. A brooding dark blues song, which reminds a bit of Uncle Ted’s “Stranglehold”. I love the way it builds on the rolling riff, until nearly the end where the pace moves into 5th gear.

I have to say a thoroughly enjoyable collection, which could have benefited from one more change of pace to mix things up a touch in the middle, and that is the only reason it isn’t a perfect score.

4.5 out of 5

Track listing;

1. One Hot Minute

2. Acid Babe

3. Gonna Take You Higher

4. Soul Mama

5. Hard To Say Goodbye

6. When You Gonna Come Home

7. Last Chance

8. Bruised and Battered

9. Wanna Be Somebody

10. Lonely Days are Gone