Enuff Z’ Nuff – Brainwashed Generation
Review by : John W
How can anyone not have a soft spot for Enuff Z’ Nuff? Thirty five years into their career and they are still cranking out albums on a regular basis. By my reckoning this is album number 22 if you include live albums and compilations. That’s a jaw dropping number of tracks, twice the amount the Beatles ever released and four times the amount that Guns ‘n’ Roses have managed over the same time period.
​
However, it also means that the band are a victim of their own prolific output. If you fancy sticking a track onto a playlist what do you go for? Fly High Michelle? New Thing? Maybe push the boat out and go for a new track such as Mother’s Eyes? Here’s the crux of the problem, all those tracks are now at least thirty years old. It’s not that the newer stuff is bad it’s just that it’s buried under the sheer volume of songs they’ve released. Honestly, how many people are digging out copies of Paraphernalia or Welcome to Blue Island to listen to a track? By the time you release album six or seven you must be fully aware that the new one isn’t going to be your come-back album. God only knows what you feel by album twenty two.
The Enuff Z’ Nuff backstory is a textbook example of doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. Despite having more in common with the bubble-gum rock of Cheap Trick than the Glam metal sounds of the Sunset Strip crowd their over the top image put them on the same MTV platform just before the entire scene imploded under the weight of 10,000 cans of hairspray.
​
Next stop was the familiar story of being dropped by record labels after disappointing album sales and the descent into drug addiction and rotating band members. Through most of this time the key founders Chip Z’ Nuff and singer Donnie Vie keep the ship afloat. Donnie then leaves and they recruit someone else, who then leaves and is replaced by... Donnie Vie. Until he leaves again in 2016…
​
And so the circle continues. This album sees Chip Z’ Nuff stepping up and handling vocal duties apart from on “Strangers in my head” where up pops, you guessed it, Donnie Vie. To be fair Chip does a decent job as a singer and the overall result is far less jarring than you would normally expect when the one remaining founder member is forced to take over vocal duties. Perhaps the band’s previous history of entwined harmonies and backing vocals had pretty much paved the way so we know what Chip sounds like. It’s to Chip’s credit that the one track that features Donnie doesn’t dominate the rest of the album.
​
Elsewhere there are guest spots from the likes of Mike Portney providing drums on “Fatal Distraction”, Cheap Tricks’ Daxx Nielson on “It’s all in Vain” and Ace Frehley providing what is described as “inaudible lead guitar” on “Drugland Weekend”. No, I’ve got absolutely no idea what that phrase means either, but it probably makes total sense in Chip’s head.
​
It’s not a dreadful album by any means and there’s actually moments where the album really let’s Chip’s song writing shine. Closing track “Winding Road” has a fantastic groove to it. There’s no absolute stonkers on the album. Everything you’d expect from the band is there, themes of love, peace, rejection, lost love leading to despair are all covered. Songs are well crafted and executed. There’s the familiar hints of 60s psychedelia and the ever present nod towards Cheap Trick throughout the album. The peace symbol as always dominates the album artwork. In short, there’s no doubting it’s an Enuff Z’ Nuff album.
And yet the album never really gets out of cruise control mode. It’s the aural equivalent of going to a chain restaurant. You know exactly what you expect to hear and Enuff Z’ Nuff deliver it with the minimum of fuss and disruption. There’s nothing you could dislike about the experience but it’s not going to revolutionize your world.
​
Opening instrument track “the Gospel” is the only real thing that deviates from the bands established blueprint. Both “Go…” and “Broken Love” wouldn’t have been out of place on the debut album. Elsewhere “Help I’m in Hell” sees Chip singing about being 48 and his love interest being just 23. Either this song has been hanging around for a while or Chip might be missing a few more of the drug induced wilderness years than he’s realised.
​
In conclusion album number 22 isn’t going to be the big come-back one that catapults them back into the limelight but let’s see where they go next year with album number 23, it’s probably already pretty much written.
3/5
On this album Enuff Z’ Nuff are:
Chip Z’ Nuff – Vocals and Bass guitar
Tory Stoffregen - Guitar
Alex Kane - Guitar
Dan B Hill - Drums
BRAINWASHED GENERATION Track listing:
1. The Gospel
2. Fatal Distraction
3. I Got My Money Where My Mouth Is
4. Help I’m In Hell
5. It’s All In Vain
6. Strangers In My Head
7. Drugland Weekend
8. Broken Love
9. Go…
10. Winding Road
​
The album is available now from Frontiers Music srl
​
https://www.enuffznuff.com/
https://www.facebook.com/EnuffZnuffOfficial/
https://www.instagram.com/enuffznuffofficial/
​
#enuffznuff
#brainwashedgeneration
#rockmediauk
#reviewbyjohnw
#albumreview
#chipznuff
#danbhill
#zztop
#daxxneilson
#cheaptrick
#flyhighmichelle
#newthing
#donnievie
#acefrehley
#mikeportney