Search - Rick Springfield :: Shock Denial Anger Acceptance

A modern rock staple by a true rock artist

DanD | 10/09/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I don't like modern rock--I prefer the good ol' days of Springsteen, John Cougar, maybe a little Van Halen and Bon Jovi. And it's safe to say that Rick Springfield isn't the world's best singer--in fact, his voice falters on many occasions. So why did I give this album a four star rating?



Because, quite simply, it's ecclectic: i.e., wonderful.



Ecclectic and rock go great together. The best rock artists have always made their best albums by fusing strange, confounding lyrics with new styles (Springsteen and "Ghost of Tom Joad," Mellencamp and "Mr. Happy Go Lucky"). That's what Springfield has done here--taken some downright strange, often meaningless (yet masterful) lyrics, put them to some great distorted guitar riffs, and created musical gems.



From the modern rock that opens the album to the folk rock that closes it, this is a great CD. In here you'll find some great musicianship (this is where Springfield's true talent lies, I think) and some listenable tunes that'll put you into a trance. Not for everyone, only for those of you who like your music with a taste of the macabre, "Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance" could quite possibly become a classic rock n roll album. If it gets the airplay it deserves."

FANTASTIC ROCK ALBUM AND RICK'S FINEST TO DATE

DanD | 02/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A big surprise for everybody who thought that Rick Springfield will always stay an icon of the 80's that was left behind by the changing taste of the 90's and the new millenium. SHOCK/DENIAL/ANGER/ACCEPTANCE offers 17 new songs including one cover version of "I'll make you happy". All boast a sharp, hard and powerful sound unlike anything Rick has ever done before. Yet the irresistible hooks and melodies Rick has always provided are still in place. Lyrically he goes to unknown extremes and cuts to the bone with explorations of love/hate relationships, personal disorientation and the search for a positive perspective in an everchanging world full of trauma-inducing events. SHOCK/DENIAL/ANGER/ACCEPTANCE, the four stages of grief, will capture the hearts and minds not only of Rick's loyal long-time fans but will also get him the overdue attention as one of the great (and shamefully overlooked) singer/songwriters who keep reinventing and proving themselves. If you like rock music this album is a definite MUST!!!"

JUST INCREDIBLE!!! VERY CHEAP TRICK-ISH!!!

Larry Davis | NYC/Long Island, NY, USA | 02/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, being a longtime + hardcore Rick fan for over 20 years, I always get excited when he puts out a new studio album...and this one, his first since 1999's "Karma"...I can say objectively that this sucker could very well be Rick's finest album yet!! Really?? Yep. Better than his 1980 powerpop masterpiece "Working Class Dog"?? Quite possibly!! Now, THAT's hard, a tough accomplishment!!See, SDAA is a mixture of many things...superb powerpop tuneage, his trademark deep, thought-provoking, spiritual lyrics, and killer harmonies...BUT, he adds something here missing from many of his 80s records, a real EDGE, like, a head-banging, fist-pumping EDGE!! Woohoo!! EXHILIRATING stuff!! For those of us who have seen Rick's live shows, we know he rocks hard and LOUD, but that edge, for the most part, has been missing from his records...haha, not anymore!! Here, on SDAA, it seems as if he was able to figure out how to FINALLY capture this lightning in a bottle, and then pour it over his finest batch of tunes yet...something his longtime producers Bill Drescher and Keith Olsen were never able to do, and if there was a bit of an edge before, it tended to be sugarcoated...not here...Don't get me wrong, I'm not trashing Rick's 80s records at all, everything Rick has released has been awesome, but hearing SDAA makes me wish ALL his records were like this...as this raw, loud, gritty sound does him justice...it adds credibility and depth, ON TOP of the substance that is already there...my suggestion, Rick must produce his own records from now until doomsday...he knows his sound best...PLUS, his songwriting and musicianship should (if this is a just world) give him the looooong-overdue respect and admiration he deserves, as well as a comeback "hit" or two...OK, the songs, THE SONGS!!! WOW!!! They hit you in both the gut and your brain's pleasure centers...hard-edged POWERPOP, not unlike my OTHER heroes, CHEAP TRICK!!! This album resembles CT's first few records and "One On One"...but with Rick's lyrical style...no, not heavy metal, or BUBBLEGUM...or plain ol' ROCK...that word doesn't do Rick justice...POWERPOP does...as for ballads?? Out of 17 KILLER tracks, I only hear two?? Plus 2 short "interlude" tracks...plus, each song has its own unique vibe, so it doesn't sound like 1 long song blur...Like many others here...hard to pick a favourite...a GOOD thing, as so one track doesn't overshadow the others...I can say I dig 14 or 15 of the songs equally..."Will I" is a great song they are sending to radio...but I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't get airplay...too sophisticated for these dumb stations...they won't GET it...too good for radio...Now, if this is Rick's biggest artistic triumph, at age 54, I wonder if he's be able to do another masterpiece in his 60s?? I guess we shall see...I can guarantee that people who laugh at Rick or thing he is an 80s relic, SDAA will shut them up, and honestly, the best way to do that is play the record without revealing that it is Rick, until they really ask and demand to know...when you say it is Rick, they WILL shut up...Rick is the master!!!SDAA album of the year 2004??? It has a serious early shot!!"