Def Leppard

The ongoing dialog between '80s hair metal and contemporary Nashville continues with Sparkle Lounge's first single, "Nine Lives," which features a cameo from manly cowboy Tim McGraw. But no worries. The Leppard hasn't pulled a Bon Jovi and ridden off into the adult-contemporary sunset. In fact, anthemic jock jams, sweaty stripper rock and power ballads as loud as 10 jet engines dominate an album that should've been titled Hysteria 2.0. And that's a good thing.

In the nineties, when producer Robert “Mutt” Lange disappeared into Switzerland with
Shania Twain and dump trucks full of cash, he left Def Leppard stranded. Lange produced
and co-wrote their best-selling release Hysteria, and the band tries hard to re-create that
album’s magic on Songs From the Sparkle Lounge. “Go,” the opener, has the group’s
signature layered vocals, crunching guitars and Seventies glam-rock vibe. But w... More >