Reach for the Sky

Ratt's fifth release (fourth on major label), "Reach For the Sky," continues their swaggering style, their sleazy LA-style lyrics, and the Ratt sound forward through the end (*sniff*) of the 1980's. While some songs take a bit of a musical twist on typical Ratt stuff, this album is still distinctly, undeniably RATT in all of their glory. Actually, I like the amount of sleaze in this release more than I do in their '85 album "Invasion of Your Privacy," and this album is neck-to-neck in competition with their 1986 "Dancing Undercover" for sexual inuendoes and lyrical sleaze. DeMartini's guitar also continues to blister, ingiting your stereo with "I Want a Woman," "Don't Bite the Hand That Feeds," and "City To City." "Chain Reaction" is fast, driving, and heavy, and "Bottom Line" is probably one of the best tracks on this album. While I wouldn't recommend this CD to a beginner looking to experience Ratt, this IS a solid release, and established Ratt fans won't have a problem wearing out their stereos with this album. For the Ratt experience, I recommend in this order: 1) "Out of the Cellar," 2) "Invasion of Your Privacy," 3) "Dancing Undercover", then 4) "Reach For the Sky." Their fifth major release, "Detonator," has its good moments, but doesn't stack up to their 80's releases.