BEAUTIFUL CREATURES – Deuce Deluxe (2017)
L.A. rockers BEAUTIFUL CREATURES have reunited again and are releasing tomorrow a newly remastered & remixed version of their sophomore album Deuce, also re-sequenced and including bonus tracks, re-titled as “Deuce Deluxe“.
The line-up that originally recorded the Deuce album back in 2005 is the same as the reunited one in 2017: ex- Bang Tango frontman Joe Leste, guitarists Anthony Focx and Alex Grossi, bassist Kenny Kweens and drummer Timmy Russell.
“Deuce Deluxe” also features a refreshed artwork and some new solos / instrumentation.
Following Beautiful Creature’s self titled release in 2001, the core band (Leste, Kweens and Focx) immediately entered the studio with a new lineup which included lead guitarist Alex Grossi and began recording material for the follow-up to their debut, which would end up being titled Deuce.
Produced by guitarist Anthony Focx and bassist Kenny Kweens, mixed by Toby Wright (whose past production work includes Alice In Chains and KISS), Deuce was released worldwide in 2005 and ultimately landed premier placements on the hit FX TV series Sons Of Anarchy, the Walt Disney/Touchstone hit film The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock as well multiple other TV & movie soundtracks.
Founding bassist Kenny Kweens states, “unlike our Warner Bros. debut record, Deuce was never properly released and nearly impossible to get due to all the changes in the industry. We are really looking forward to everyone hearing Deuce as it was meant to be sonically.”
Beautiful Creatures “Deuce Deluxe” feature every track the band recorded for the Japanese Release (JVC Records) as well as the U.S. Release (Spitfire / Eagle Rock) in one package that has been re-mixed and remastered.
There’s also a new album cover artwork and edits that up until now, were not included in either initial release, such as the scorching newly recorded guitar solo for the power ballad ‘I Still Miss You’ (originally a Japanese bonus track).
That said, there is a much more muscle to the guitar tone, a little more grit in Leste’s vocals and a melodic polish on some tracks.
The resulting effect is some kind of a mix including The Cult, early Bang Tango, Guns N’ Roses (the refreshed ‘Forgiven’ sports one of those ragged-glory choruses that Axl Rose used to be able to put over), while ‘Brand New Day’ finds The Cult’s influence at maximum — you could drop this song on side two of Sonic Temple or Beyond Good and Evil and no one would notice.
‘Thanks’, along with ‘Straight To Hell’ are some of the heavier tracks on the album, with Leste’s vocals sounding really aggressive. Songs like ‘Anyone’ and ‘Freedom’ take a more modern approach, in terms of sound, to bands such as Velvet Revolver or Brides of Destruction.
On the ballad side, apart from the aforementioned ‘I Still Miss You’ (which is one of the highlights), there’s the acoustically based ‘I Won’t be the One’ which provides some balance at the middle of the album.
Short songs (around the 3-minute mark) benefits the effectiveness of “Deuce Deluxe”, a solid collection of rocking songs. The remaster / remix added a lot of punch to these songs, with more bass presence and sharper guitars.
In style, successfully link the ’80s with the ’90s and 2000s, and manages to be both modern and L.A. hard rock inspired.
Strongly Recommended
01 – Black Circus (intro)
02 – Straight to Hell
03 – Thanks
04 – Anyone
05 – Freedom
06 – Save Me
07 – I Still Miss You
08 – Brand New Day
09 – I Won’t Be the One
10 – Get You High
11 – SuperFly
12 – The Unknown (guitar interlude)
13 – Ton of Lead
14 – Starr Cross
15 – Forgiven
16 – Empty
17 – Never
Joe Lesté – vocals
Alex Grossi – guitar
Anthony Focx – guitar, background vocals
Kenny Kweens – bass
Timmy Russell – drums
BUY IT !
www.amazon.com/Deuce-Deluxe-Beautiful-Creatures/dp/B06XRSPN4X
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