JIZZY PEARL – Vegas Must Die!

Jizzy Pearl has been around the block a few times in his career, and his resume over the last 15 years or so is about as impressive as it gets! First was an impressive run with Love/Hate in the 90’s, L.A. Guns for a couple years towards the end of that decade, and then Ratt ever since 2000. In addition, Jizzy has dabbled into writing fiction and has a small handful of solo records to his credit too. The latest in his musical lineage is Vegas Must Die! on Shrapnel Records, a record written over a few weeks as a result of a failed relationship – in Jizzy’s own words to Metal Express (check out the streaming audio interview in the INTERVIEWS section), “… Whether people like to admit it or not, sometimes it takes a life-changing event, either good or bad, but usually bad, to get the creative juices flowing. I had just come off a relationship that had ties to Las Vegas, and next thing I knew I had locked myself in a room for like 3 weeks … I just kept writing and writing, and in the end, I think the results were pretty incredible.”

Well, overall, Jizzy’s self-review is pretty accurate. The musical style is generally Garage Band Hard Rock, with a few glimpses of the Blues and a touch every now and then of Hair Metal. All of the music is fairly simple, but since this really was a solo effort during the writing process, Jizzy will be the first to tell you that his guitar talents are average (at best), so straightforward music and song structures are to be expected … but that’s a good thing and comes across rather refreshing. Jizzy definitely had plenty to say too … each of the songs are very vocally intensive, and Jizzy’s whiskey-rasp singing style is indeed filled with reflection, lukewarm sadness, and, of course, spite.

The album starts out in aggressive fashion with “Hit And Miss,” followed up by a very cool and methodical riff in track 2, “True Love,” which has the overall most impressive guitar work on the album. “Look At You Now” incorporates some piano work, and some choppy guitar work. Unfortunately, the excessive repetition of the spiteful “Just look at you now” lyric makes this the only somewhat annoying track on the album. All is forgiven, however, with the 4th track, “Little Dancer,” which starts out with a melancholic bass riff that eventually shares the spotlight with an angry guitar and some heartfelt “I was wrong” vocals. Next up is “How’d I Get So Lonely,” the album’s only ballad, incorporating a touch of Country & Western into the guitar mix. “Lies” takes up the 6th position, and with its fast pace and catchy lyrical patterns, may qualify as the best track on the album. “Long Time” could easily have fit into an early Bon Jovi album (that’s a compliment), while “You Don’t Own Me” sounds as if it could have been a lost bonus track from Led Zeppelin’s III album (another compliment), and “Only Wait So Long” delves heavy into the Blues. “Ball And Gag” is one of those up-tempo songs that simply cooks, and features a great Chuck Berry-ish guitar solo (could have been a tad longer, though!). The album ends with “Good Girl,” a thick-sounding mid-tempo song, complete with some Peter Frampton-ish wah wah’s, and a few vocal “Oooo oooo’s,” serving as an overall solid ending to a solid album.

All in all, Jizzy has put forth a great effort in the form of Vegas Must Die!. There’s plenty of emotion in here for fans liking substance within their lyrics. Music fans that prefer ephemeral lyrics, however, won’t be turned off either, since the musical crux found throughout is capable of carrying this album alone. Fans of Garage Band Hard Rock, or any work involving Jizzy in the past, should especially enjoy this record, as it may indeed be the best thing he’s produced in the past 15 years. Check this one out!

Line Up:
Jizzy Pearl – Vocals & Guitars
Pete Reveen – Guitars
Mark Dutton – Bass
Dave Moreno – Drums
Stoney Curtis – Additional Guitars
Michael Lardie – Additional Guitars & Keyboards

Run Time: 43 minutes, 11 tracks