| With X, Def Leppard have enlisted the aid of Aerosmith collaborator Marty Frederiksen, whose opening "Now" draws together all the Leps trademarks--sweeping acoustic strums, sweet waves of backing vocals, guitars both chugging and screeching, and soaring keyboards--all moving towards an ecstatic climax. Then his "Everyday" and "You're So Beautiful" slip into Cher-style pop-rock. Also there's Andreas Carlsson and Per Aldeheim, co-creators of the Britney sound, whose "Unbelievable" is a big puffball of a ballad. But it's really after the collaborations that X gets going properly. With "Four Letter Word", those famous innuendos are back and singer Joe Elliott--for the first time--seems genuinely energised. "Torn to Shreds" is an old-school Lep ballad, pained sentiment building to sonic explosion, while "Gravity" and "Girl Like You" introduce techno squiggles in an echo of Slang's experimentation. Best is the closing "Scar", a five-minute epic, complete with screaming oriental guitars and those incredible vocal harmonies. It's not Hysteria, then, but it's a fine effort nonetheless. --Dominic Wills |
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