RECORDS
Yes, but is it a rock? When rock artists go more than three years between albums, I tend to write ’em off as Missing: Inaction, but there are always exceptions. Some musicians need to lead semi-normal lives for awhile in order to write their strongest material.
RECORDS
DEPARTMENTS
AMERICAN NORM
BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND Like A Rock (Capitol)
by Michael Davis
Yes, but is it a rock?
When rock artists go more than three years between albums, I tend to write ’em off as Missing: Inaction, but there are always exceptions. Some musicians need to lead semi-normal lives for awhile in order to write their strongest material. Those who don’t do much besides cranking out albums, videos and concerts often end up writing about the process, which usually leads to OK party music without much depth or insight. But the best rock ’n’ roll songwriting, from Chuck Berry on, gives us a look at the real world from a viewpoint that allows us to coexist with it, whether from behind a smile, a sneer, a sigh or a scream. To make that viewpoint believable, the writer can’t be too far removed from his listener’s lifestyles.