Modern Superstar | Under My Skin
by Erik Tweedy
Staff Writer
Hailing from the great state of Ohio, Modern Superstar has unleashed their debut release, Under My Skin. Chock full of pop-oriented rock that occasionally leans toward the glam/sleaze side of the fence. Built around straight forward melodies, catchy riffs and a big chorus, Modern Superstar is sure to find an audience among the heavyweights of the Genre.
With a heavy guitar intro and a pounding drum beat, “Hollywood Dirty” kicks things off on a very positive note. Clocking in at just under 4 minutes with its catchy chorus and junior high lyrics that defined the big hair decade of sleaze on the Sunset Strip, the band set the tone early for a 10-song run that is a roller-coaster ride full of ups and downs.
“She Likes Girls” is your basic no frills lesbian rock song. Sounding like most any other big city local rock band, Modern Superstar stick to what they do best by providing another catchy chorus and tongue-in cheek lyrics.
Just when Under My Skin is hitting full speed, the band steers the music in an acoustic direction with “Txt U Gud’bye” and “Grow’n Old,” two songs that would have been better placed near the end of the disc as they really kill the momentum of the two opening tracks. “Txt U Gud’bye” is a complete buzz kill of a song and doesn’t provide the listener with any enjoyment. “Grow’n Old” has a nice Mr. Big feel to it and does include some solid solo work by guitarist Danny Watts.
By the time you hit track 5, hopefully you are still awake and start to realize that Modern Superstar are less ‘rock’ and more acoustic pop. With “Love/Hate,” vocalist Jamie Fletcher does his best Brett Michaels impression by conjuring up this bands version of “Every Rose Has a Thorn,” a nice melancholy track about being caught in a relationship that you just love to hate and can’t leave it behind no matter how bad it is.
Heading into the 2nd half of the disc, the ‘rock’ reappears in the form of “You,” one of the better tracks on Under My Skin. Sounding a bit like Firehouse, Modern Superstar burn through this track in less than 3 minutes and just when you are thinking, “these guys aren’t too bad,” it is over and the disc heads right back to the boring acoustic driven sounds of “Blue.” There are some definite identity issues with this band. Either make a great rock record or make some pop-oriented acoustic drivel that is uninteresting. Don’t mash them together and expect fans to dig it. “Blue” can’t possibly be one of the better tracks that didn’t hit the cutting room floor. This is boring with a capital “B.”
Up and down we go as “Devil’s Playground” hits the mark with its gritty guitar work and huge chorus. If the entire release was like this, they would have a winner. The “Devil’s Playground” is what glam/sleaze rockers want but unfortunately there just isn’t enough of it on this release.
As predictable as it may seem, Under My Skin wraps things up with a very forgettable version of “We All Die Young,” which we all know was best done by Miljenko Matijevic (Steelheart) on the Rockstar movie soundtrack. Why would a newer band include this as one of their 10 best tracks? This just proves how impotent the songwriting is if you can’t come up with something better than this for your debut. The song structures here are pretty basic as are the lyrics. And, the overall miss-mash of the pop/rock/glam/acoustic thing is a big distraction from what is good.
As disappointing as this sound, all is not lost with Under My Skin. If you like pop oriented rock that is more on the mellow side with a few 3 minute glam slams thrown in, you just might enjoy this. Fans of Hardrock Haven will no doubt want a bit more metal with their meal than what is provided here. If you have the opportunity, test drive this release on iTunes or Amazon before buying.
Genre: Pop / Glam Sleaze
Band:
Jamie Fletcher -Vocals/Acoustic Guitar
Danny Watts – Lead Guitar
Bill “Monk” Carpenter – Guitar
Jordan Dirty – Bass
Ryche Green – Drums
Track Listing:
Hollywood Dirty
She Likes Girls
Txt U Gud’Bye
Grow’n Old
Love/Hate
You
Blue
Devil’s Playground
Generation Star
We All Die Young
Label: Jamsync Music
Website: http://www.modernsuperstar.com/
Hardrock Haven rating: 6.8/10