Quick Bits (Mini Reviews Of New Releases)

Crooked X – Crooked X
Hailing from Coweta, OK, the four members of Crooked X were only 14 years old when they broke through in 2008. Sounding like a mix of their heroes Black Label Society, Pantera, and Shinedown, the teen group caught the attention of the EMI label after opening gigs for the likes of Kiss and Ted Nugent. EMI signed the band and “Crooked X” is the debut self-titled album released in February of 2009. The fact that some tracks were written when members were as young as 11 shouldn’t alarm you, this record rocks hard. Recommended. Standout tracks: Rock And Roll Dream; Adrenaline; You Gotta Bleed. You can purchase the CD here.


Morrissey – Years Of Refusal
Morrissey settles into a robust middle age on “Years of Refusal”. It is comfortable in its settled nature, in its roaring guitars and swaying melodies, sometimes ratcheting up the aggression -- especially so on the tight, compacted opener, "Something Is Squeezing My Skull". He's fine with not changing his sound and writing songs about his happy middle-aged miserablism, a miserablism that increasingly feels like a device to fuel Morrissey's satire. Nothing here is surprising but it is a full-bodied, full-blooded album that feels fully realized. Recommended Standout tracks: Something Is Squeezing My Skull, You Were Good in Your Time, That's How People Grow Up. You can purchase the Deluxe Version here and the LP record here.