CD review: Def Leppard-Songs From the Sparkle Lounge

It's really hard to describe the sound of this album. After listening to it, "heavy metal," "pop," "ballad," and just "rock" all seem to fit. But not in the way that many albums do--one song at a time. Instead, several of these are combined in some songs and what you get is....something.

It's not a bad something though. However different it may be, it's still Def Leppard, and Def Leppard can still rock. Despite Joe Elliott's range shrinking a little (not a lot, but enough to notice), you can still tell that this is the same band that put out "Pour Some Sugar On Me." Of course, not all of the songs are a new sound--several of them still sound like something straight out of the 80s. However, there are definitely some modern influences.

The album is Def Leppard's first since "x" (excluding YEAH!, which was all covers). I think that for a band to be able to put out an album so long after the previous one and still make it good really says somehting about their talent.

Tracks to check out:

• Go
• Nine Lives
• Tommorow

Movie Review-Drillbit Taylor

The critics were way too harsh on this one. After reading several negative reviews on rottentomatoes, I was a bit unsure about spending $6 to go see Drillbit Taylor. After seeing it, I'm glad I did.

Sure enough, some parts of the movie could have been better. The bullies were incredibly cruel, and didn't really seem to fit into a high school environment. The ending was a bit cliche. But all in all, Drillbit Taylor is actually a pretty decent film.

The acting is enjoyable, and the characters are very funny (although part of that has to do with the similarities with some of my friends; that made it even funnier to me). It's very interesting to see how the main characters change over time--they pretty much all change in one way or another.

So, next time you're looking to go see a movie, consider Drillbit Taylor--the critics may have had a field day with it, but for the average person, it's worth the money you'll be spending to see it.

Additional info: Rated PG-13 (for language, strong bullying, sexual-references, and partial nudity) Running Time: 102 minutes