Cobra Starship returns with “Hot Mess,” a slick album of glossy hooks and trite lyrics.
TRIVIA: Kara DioGuardi, the “American Idol” judge, co-wrote the album’s lead single, “Good Girls Go Bad.”
STANDOUTS: On “Pete Wentz Is the Only Reason We’re Famous,” the group dials down the synthesizers and turns up the guitars.
FANS DIG: Neon hoodies.
ANDY SAYS: Cobra Starship looks the part of ironic suburban mall punks, but let’s be serious: This band is more Kelly Clarkson than Green Day. The group aims to make you dance with its glistening beats, but its tongue-in-cheek approach can’t save the insipid lyrics: “I’m like, ‘Hot damn, let me make you my boo.’” “Hot Mess” ends up being like a cold — something you can do without.
GRADE: C
“The Dirty Dozen,” George Thorogood and the Destroyers
WHY CARE: The man behind “Bad to the Bone” releases an album with six new covers and six hard-to-find old songs.
TRIVIA: Thorogood played minor league baseball before starting his band.
STANDOUTS: The album kicks things off with a rumbling, arena-ready cover of “Tail Dragger,” a track written by Chicago blues man Willie Dixon.
FANS DIG: John Goodman.
ANDY SAYS: Thorogood hasn’t changed much since he debuted on the charts 30 years ago. He still growls out reliable blues rock, which, as anyone who’s ever visited a bar knows, isn’t as easy as it sounds. Nothing here is all that original, but longtime fans will be pleased.
GRADE: B-minus
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455, arathbun@heraldnet.com
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