Warrant released their second album in 1990. Late to the hair metal game, the party was nearly over by 1990, and many consider this album the last real gasp of hair metal success. But the album certainly was a success, and many, including famed social observer "Chuck Klosterman" consider the album an essential listen. Let's see if the album has any real merit, and if it's a classic of late-period hair metal.
First up is the smash single and titular track, "Cherry Pie". The song of course could been seen as stupid, sexist, and shallow, and I would not disagree. But the fact remains, this song is insanely catchy, and a staple of rock radio (especially satellite radio) even today. Not much else to say about this song, I'm sure you have heard it a thousand times and seen the much maligned MTV video. Not bad, but certainly played out.Next....."Uncle Tom's Cabin" was another fairly successful song from this monster album. Featuring a banjo introduction, the song can at least be appreciated for its lyrically uniqueness. Fairly horrific lyrically, this song is quite a surprise hit, concerning a murderous uncle. I like this song, the riffs are heavy, and the late Jani Lane was certainly a capable singer and songwriter. "I Saw Red" shows that Warrant could certainly write a cheesy ballad. The spiritual successor to "Heaven", I actually like this song better than the more popular "Heaven", and the lyrics actually reflect heartbreak rather than falling in love, one of the better hair metal "ballads". Not as lame as you'd expect, and it shows that even at their sappiest, Warrant had an uncanny ability to write a ballad that can be burned into your brain forever.
"Bed Of Roses" bears no relation to the Bon Jovi song, and I actually like this one better. Sappy, but very sweet and very nostalgic. A classic example of Bon Jovi-inspired post "New Jersey" hair metal, it nonetheless has its own unique sound, slickly produced, but somehow raw and gritty, never feeling contrived or forced. Warrant did their own thing, and are often seen as cheap imitators of Bon Jovi and Poison, but I can't totally agree. "Sure Feels Good to Me" is more traditional hair metal. Very bombastic and hedonistic, Motley Crue and Ratt could be seen as the main reference point for this song. The guitars are overstretching musically, but the notes are mostly there, and rock hard enough to satisfy. My only real complaint is that the song is quite short, and seems to be over before it even begins. "Love In Stereo" is about a threesome, fairly brain-dead. However, if you bought a Warrant album to hear about sociopolitical issues, you need your head checked. The lyrics are fairly repetitive, and music is a simple blues-based progression, but its catchy enough, despite the vapidness of the lyrical content.
"Blind Faith" slows down the album again with another Bon Jovi-esque tearjerker. Not a big fan of this one, the lyrics are pretty cliche and vague, and the vocals seem to copy Jovi down to the tone of Lane's voice and backing vocals. Seems like record company pressure forced this song, looking for a hit along the lines of Jovi. "Song and Dance Man" is a fairly uplifting and somewhat poetic (its Warrant, c'mon, I'm stretching). Singing of the joys of bringing music to the masses, I like that Warrant on occasion steps away from singing the praises and cheap and easy women and gets philosophical. My only caveat is the solo, it seems somewhat out of place with the lyrics, more of a sexually-charged solo, a little too aggressive for a very reflective and contemplative sounding song. By far one of the longest titles in hair metal, "You're the Only Hell Your Mama Ever Raised" comes next. Reflecting Lane's religious upbringing, it deals with reconciling the rock and roll lifestyle with strict morals and expectations. This song again shows that Warrant were not simply about sex and excess, they proved themselves many times, with occasionally deep, often lyrically heavy songs about life and loss, among many other topics. "Mr. Rainmaker" brings the album back into metal territory. The song reminds me of contemporaries Winger, heavy, but accessible and based in pop. Warrant proves that they chops on this tune, certainly not as musically skilled as "Winger", but the song contains a fairly progressive guitar solo, and nice bass work from bassist Jerry Dixon. I have no idea what the song is about lyrically, but a very good tune. The album closes with "Train, Train". Very bluesy, its somewhat out of character for Warrant, with its harmonica and "cowboy metal" influence. Bon Jovi again comes to mind as the main influence here, but hints of Aerosmith and GNR can be heard all over the track. Not bad, but the harmonica begins to distract, and takes away from heavy and nasty guitars. Not a classic, but enjoyable, if fairly cliche.
"Cherry Pie" is a very good album. Fans of hard rock and metal should own this album. Warrant are a very underrated band and this is a somewhat underrated album, and it and they really deserve more attention and recognition for their contribution to rock music.Like pie itself, the album will "fill you easily", but it sure tastes sweet going down.
Rating-8/10
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