Tommy Lee Never A Dull Moment
By
Vinnie Apicella,
Contributor
Friday, September 6, 2002 @ 9:19 AM
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He's made headlines for nearly everything else you can imagine, now the former Motley drum idol, former Method-man, and current one-man band seeks salvation by way of his first solo record, the aptly titled Never A Dull Moment.
Lee handles nearly everything, but his temper this go round, and even that's been squelched to a great degree in letting mainly his voice do the talking –- ‘til we embark on tracks ten and eleven for a little angst and rage in the forms of "Face To Face" and "Higher" -- he's created a more complete record than his previous hip-hop-infused M.O.M. jaunt, here riding the rails of a youth-driven rock style, with trace elements of the samples, loops, funk, blues, strings, various programmable effects and more than a few moments of maturity.
The tunes range from the grungy-tonal effects of "Afterglow," and
"Sunday," to pop-inspired and melodic "Hold Me Down," "Ashamed," to the atmospherically hallucinogenic, "Why Is It," to the downright idiotic,
"Mr. Sh****." A mixed bag to be sure, Lee, tripping assuredly down the alleyway of evolution, a wink and a nod to everyone from Jane's, to the
Chemical Bros., to Bowie, to Pro Tools.
The tunes are instantly more memorable, yet quite a ways away from each other, so as to require another listen or two to rake it all in, and once the smoke clears-and it'll take a while -- Lee's first solo gig comes away respectably well, effectively breaking free from his past, not exactly breaking new ground, but most will probably expect far less and come away surprised.
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