Review by Mike Oliveri

ROLLINS BAND: GET SOME GO AGAIN Dreamworks Records

Hank's back, though the Rollins Band is actually entirely new. This time around he picked up a trio called Mother Superior, composed of Jim Wilson on guitar and piano, Marcus Blake on bass, and Jason Mackenroth on drums and sax.

The end result, however, is a little odd. Yes, the music is good. And yes, as usual for Henry Rollins, the songs are good. But the two don't necessarily jive.

The music is most akin to a hard rock sound, close to but not quite the Seattle sound made popular by the likes of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Rather than the hardcore punk/metal sound of earlier Rollins Band albums like WEIGHT, these guys sound a lot more like Creed.

Well, Creed with some balls, anyway.

While the music has lighted up some, Hank sings with the same angry roar, and it doesn't necessarily fit in with the music. It's not bad, it just doesn't quite fit. Sure, on occasion he brings it down a notch, using a more mellow tone backed by softer guitar riffs, but when he gets into the traditional Rollins fury he almost overpowers the music.

Fortunately it's tolerable, and after a few spins you'll hardly notice. Standout tracks include the opening "Illumination", the title track "Get Some Go Again", and "Monster". Wayne Kramer (solo efforts as well as frequent guest recordings, such as on Bad Religion's STRANGER THAN FICTION) checks in with guitar work on "Hotter and Hotter" and gets a vocal nod from Henry in the beginning of the closing track, "Illuminator".

"Illuminator" is the real treat on the disk. It's more like Henry's spoken word performances, only backed by rock music (note: "Everything" was backed by jazz music, the rest are typically live recordings). He targets the phony, flakey LA entertainment scene and the kind of people it tends to produce, and blasts away with his usual razor-sharp insight and take no prisoners attitude.

While GET SOME GO AGAIN is not 100% within my tastes, Hank's songwriting really makes up for it.

I give it four Perplex Skulls.

This review copyright 2000 E.C.McMullen Jr.

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