Mickey Avalon – Loaded
Track Listing:
1.) Rock Bottom
2.) Girlfriend
3.) On The…
4.) Dance (Feat Cisco Adler)
5.) More Junk
6.) Drugs
7.) CA Crack Cocaine (Feat. Cisco Adler)
8.) Mr. Brownstone
9.) Electric Gigolo
10.) Funeral (Feat. Andre Legacy)
11.) Mickeys Girl
12.) Making Love
13.) Take Me Home
14.) Baby Doll
15.) Part In My Pants
16.) Tight Blue Jeans
17.) I’m Hot
18.) Girlfriend (Feat. Scott Russo of Unwritten Law)
The Pier Album Rating:
Release Date: April 24th, 2012
Record Label: Suburban Noize
Official Website: Mickey Avalon Website
Group Background:
Mickey Avalon’s life story plays out like an episode of VH1’s “Behind The Music” marred by personal tragedy, triumphs & immense pain. Using his life experiences as fuel for his intense rhymes, Mickey Avalon is now inviting listeners to step into his world of debauchery with the release of his sophmore studio album, Loaded.
Avalon has toured sold out shows alongside Red Hot Chili Peppers, Travis Barker & DJ AM, Snoop Dogg, Stephen Marley & Slightly Stoopid. The new album Loaded features guest appearances by Scott Russo of Unwritten Law on the albums lead single “Girlfriend”. Other appearances include Cisco Adler & Andre Legacy.
Album Review:
With an album titled, Loaded, I guess its no surprise that most of the songs felt like they were produced after snorting lines of cocaine before throwing back a handful of random pills to help spit the hip hop verses over. The album is full of club like beats mixed with distortion rock making way for Avalon’s nonchalant vocal delivery Loaded with self-fulfilling lyrics praising his own impression that he leaves on other drug induced party goers.
With track #3 “On The…”, Avalon confesses “Cocaine helps me face the day and then the pills wash the pain away”…I feel like that’s the best way to describe the approach of this album. Even with the addition of Scott Russo from Unwritten Law, the album lacks musicianship and general likability. A lot of the musicianship is over produced around programmed beats with sound effects & excessive use of overdubs on the vocals.
While I see it finding a niche with the avid party goers & drug users, I see it falling flat, not just in the Reggae-Rock community, but with the general audience. Sure it makes for good backdrop music in a edgy movie or TV show, but is there a song strong enough to leave a lasting impression? Probably not.
The album has 18 songs, none of them timeless as much as they are gimmicky with a shelf-life that lasts as long as the drug trip you’re on. In other words, you may out grow this album & minus the drugs, the album might appear to be obnoxious & adolescent. I just feel with an 18 track album, there was opportunity to bring a more diverse & original approach to leave an impression with.
I’m not saying, don’t do the gimmicky songs about drugs & partying, but maybe mix it up with a few songs a general audience can relate to. I suppose the overall content just lacks balance, but the album title is called Loaded, so again, what can I expect?
Some of the songs, such as “On The…”, “CA Crack Cocaine”, “Mickey’s Girl” or leading single “Girlfriend”, featuring Scott Russo, have great background music potential, but nothing memorable or timeless. I guess if you want to get partial credit & a few laughs from your friends for playing a punch-line heavy song, then you have your options with “Mr Brownstone”, “Drugs” or “Party In My Pants”.
But with 1 too many self-fulfilling punch-lines, minimal musicianship & enough drug references to catch a contact high off of, I in no way found myself connecting with the album. I walked away feeling more hungover than Loaded and I’m not saying Mickey Avalon isn’t talented, I just personally wouldn’t buy the album.
Written & Reviewed By: Mike Patti
[Editors Note: All reviews are reflective of the album in it’s entirety, from start to finish. These reviews are the honest opinion of each writer/reviewer, expressing their feedback as a genuine fan of the music. Each star rating reflects their review of the album, not the band. Music is subjective. Regardless of the review or star rating, we encourage you to listen to the music yourself & form your own opinion. Spread the awareness of all music in its art & contribution]
