Mötley Crüe

by Stephen Thomas ErlewineOn Mötley Crüe's first album recorded without vocalist Vince Neil, the band revamped its trademark dirty but melodic heavy metal, adding elements of '90s grunge and alternative metal. New vocalist John Corabi is a hoarse shouter without Neil's charisma, so he wasn't able to put a distinctive spin on the pedestrian grind the rest of the band churned out. Mötley Crüe seems to have equated grunge with seriousness on this eponymously title release, since very few of the songs on the record recall the hedonistic atmosphere of the band's '80s albums. Unfortunately, this also means they have neglected to write memorable hooks and riffs, which makes Mötley Crüe the weakest effort in their catalog. [In 2003, the Crüe remastered and reissued Mötley Crüe on the band's own Motley/Hip-O label with three bonus tracks: two unreleased songs ("Hypnotized" and "Livin' in the Know") and the non-LP track "Babykills."]