Search - Ugly Kid Joe :: America's Least Wanted

I Liked It

alanah myles | Malaysia | 03/18/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album is highly entertaining. Good lyrics, good rhymes, funny, catchy tunes, it's got everything. Everytime I listen to it, the world feels like a better place. A real mood uplifter."

A couple of good songs, but not a very strong album overall

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 07/11/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Emerging just as the hair metal scene was winding down, Ugly Kid Joe was something of a wild card in the scene. They weren't as image conscious as the Hollywood bands, had a goofy, joke-y vibe that made it hard to take them seriously, and seemed to change styles from hair metal to funk rock to rap rock with every song. The band enjoyed a brief period of popularity from the success of their hit single "Everything About You" (from the As Ugly as They Wanna Be EP). That popularity was extended (again, briefly) by their first full-length album America's Least Wanted, which featured a major hit in the mellow cover of Harry Chapin's "Cat's In the Cradle".



Unfortunately, "Cat's In the Cradle" is really the only noteworthy song on America's Least Wanted. Sure, they tacked on "Everything About You" again (for those that didn't bother with the EP, I suppose) and scored a minor hit with the obnoxious "Neighbor" (thanks more to the Twisted Sister-style video than the actual song), but the rest of the album is pretty forgettable. The band never really establishes their sound, and songwriting is just not their main strength.



Ugly Kid Joe was another casualty of the grunge era, and it's not too hard to see why. If you run across America's Least Wanted in a dollar bin - and believe me, you will - by all means give it a spin. "Cat's In the Cradle" is worth adding to your MP3 library, as is "G*ddamn Devil" since it boasts backing vocals by Judas Priest's Rob Halford. Other than that (and maybe "Everything About You" as a guilty pleasure), you probably won't get much out of this one."