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Shameless: So Good You Should
Shameless - So Good You Should Album Art

Shameless: So Good You Should

Melodic Hard Rock
3.5/5.0

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Pride & Joy Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 14.05.2022 | Released: 20.05.2022

From Munich, Shameless is the creation of bass player Alexx Michael wherein he collaborates, mostly, with guitarist BC for songwriting. Since forming in 1998 Shameless recordings have feature some know rock luminaries like Jaret Reddick (Bowling For Soup, , Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns (LA Guns), Keri Kelli, Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick (KISS), John Corabi (Motley Crue & Dead Daisies) Cherie Currie (the Runaways), and Chris Holmes (WASP) among many others. Michael also uses some, perhaps not-so-known, guest talent for vocals including Stevie Rachelle and Frankie Muriel. Recently he has invited a female vocalist to the Shameless camp, Charlotte Tybalt from Blue Ruin. She was first featured with the band on last year's single, Live Your Dream. Shameless returns with their latest studio album, So Good You Should.

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Shameless

Musically, the album is derivative of previous Shameless albums: straight up classic melodic hard rock ala Eighties Sunset Strip. Press material for the album is rather incomplete to sketchy about the song content. So Good You Should features 14 tracks, a mixture of original recordings with covers. The problem is that it's not entirely clear which is which. Original material could include the title track, Live Your Dream, and maybe, Shout It Out. All these are well-written, catchy, rock songs with solid gang vocal harmony, memorable refrains, and slick guitar solos.

As for the cover songs, some are mentioned in the PR one-sheet; others not, but often recognizable. Of those mentioned is Love Is Blind, a Gene Simmons penned song said to never have been previously released. Another cover mentioned is country singer Jerry Reed's East Bound And Down. The song was featured on the famous Burt Reynolds' film, Smokey and The Bandit. It get the rock treatment. Other songs you will recognize: Get Ready by The Temptations and Tiffany's Think We're Alone Now. A tad distant for me was The Psychedelic Furs Pretty In Pink from the film of the same name. (As a teen coming-of-age story, that film singlehandedly captured the best and worst of Eighties pop culture from music to clothing to hair styles. Ugh! I remembering looking like that back in day, and I would never go back.) The oddball cover is Ain't Got No Sense which maybe(?) from Teenage Head, a obscure Canadian punk pop new wave band. These things in mind, if anything, Shameless' So Good You Should will either keep you guessing or interested. Recommended.




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The Take Away

Including a largely undefined collection of original and cover material, Shameless' So Good You Should will keep the listener both interested and guessing as to what is coming next.

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