Summary:The latest solo studio release for the rock artist was produced by Bob Ezrin and features guest appearances by ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Deep Purple's Roger Glover and U2's Larry Mullen Jr. A second bonus disc contains two tracks featuring the original Alice Cooper band and six live tracksThe latest solo studio release for the rock artist was produced by Bob Ezrin and features guest appearances by ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Deep Purple's Roger Glover and U2's Larry Mullen Jr. A second bonus disc contains two tracks featuring the original Alice Cooper band and six live tracks recorded in Columbus with his current backing band.…Expand
Taken as a whole, it’s a pretty patchwork affair, but so are all Alice Cooper albums, even the great ones. And while this isn’t one of the great ones, it also doesn’t sound like the work of a washed-up has-been who’s out of time and ideas.
There’s a sense of sheer urgency in Cooper’s voice as he describes an apocalyptic city scene on Fireball; Genuine American Girl dabbles in smart gender politics and Fallen in Love is a tight throwback to classic blues laments. However, more shiny than screwball, it doesn’t offer the same treasure you might well find lurking in Cooper’s attic.
Paranormal lacks both the nostalgia factor of its predecessor and a concept such as the one behind 2008’s Along Came A Spider. It also can’t claim to be a return to heaviness such as Dragontown from 2001. So what does it offer? Not much, other than a moderately listenable set of songs.
Alice Cooper is simply too good at too many styles and ideas. There is no sign of aging, he sounds as fresh and inspired as he did in 1972.Alice Cooper is simply too good at too many styles and ideas. There is no sign of aging, he sounds as fresh and inspired as he did in 1972. Because of that we see a great variety of songs. He could have made 5 normal albums with this amount of hooks, idea's and arrangements. But it's only one and every song is an entire world, almost an album on its own.…Expand
It's easy to over analyse an album by someone as iconic as Alice Cooper and compare new material to previous legendary releases. With someoneIt's easy to over analyse an album by someone as iconic as Alice Cooper and compare new material to previous legendary releases. With someone like Alice I think the best test is to ask yourself "Do I find myself singing the songs to myself?". In this case I have to answer "Yes!". The songs are catchy and I can enjoy them all. There are also some very clever and witty lines. Unlike many other aged rockers, Alice Cooper has not lost his magic after all these years and this is one of the best rock albums I've heard recently. If you're an Alice fan or just a fan of proper rock music then you will not be disappointed!…Expand
Alice Cooper shows on PARANORMAL that he still has a few tricks up his sleeve - the Scorpions-esque intro on the title cut, the rollickingAlice Cooper shows on PARANORMAL that he still has a few tricks up his sleeve - the Scorpions-esque intro on the title cut, the rollicking attack of "Fireball", the runaway train that is "Rats". He also falters slightly here and there - the famous Cooper snarl comes and goes a bit, and when he sings "Don't you know there's cannibals / designed to kill and eat you" he's actually self-cannibalizing "Don't you know children / are starving in Korea" from his own "Generation Landslide", and the following angel-dust reference shows that The Coop may have not taken many drugs since he sang the latter. The worst thing here is that "The Sound Of A" is more than a slight rip of Pink Floyd's "Brain Damage". That dipped-in-the-past toe becomes a total dive before the album's over, with nods to both classic Cooper and the "Welcome To My Nightmare" era ("Holy Water" jumps right into that mode with a horn-driven Broadway attack). Whether nostalgic or squarely in the present, no one sounds like they're phoning it in. Who knew that Alice would have his vocal chops, energy and wit intact this consistently at this stage of the game? Then again, Cooper has rarely played by rules other than his own, and if it works, it works.
This is not an Alice Cooper album. There's clearly a lack of ideas and he doesn't want to work in studio anymore. It's all simply rockThis is not an Alice Cooper album. There's clearly a lack of ideas and he doesn't want to work in studio anymore. It's all simply rock stereotyped and that go nowhere, too bad for the 27th album. Don't know why an Alice Cooper fan should listened to it. He should work on Hollywood Vampires instead of doing this.…Expand
