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BUCKCHERRY
Vol. 10
Round Hill Records

LED ZEPPELIN had 8.
THE DOORS had 9.
SOUNDGARDEN had 6. As do ALICE IN CHAINS and GUNS 'N ROSES but tentatively.
NIRVANA and JIMI HENDRIX had 3 each.

And just to throw a proverbial bone towards KNAC.COM's indie fanbase, RADIOHEAD also have 9. Thom Yorke, your disdain towards Jim Morrison is duly noted otherwise just because of the shared number of studio albums and the fact that your own band is still actually alive and able to record, but this review isn't about you.

Few modern bands in this day and age anymore can successfully reach the perennial milestone that's known as the release of the tenth studio album. It's a significantly nice round even number which can mark a transitional shift or highlight in their careers - especially if their careers had been briefly gliding over the flatlining curve.

In this case, it's hard to immediately pinpoint where esteemed Sunset Strip revivalists BUCKCHERRY are at in this stage in their career, but with their tenth studio album known as Vol. 10, they appear to be ambivalent about the current course of the journey, preferring to ride out their road trip by their own measure until the proverbial wheels fall off - and luckily for them, their own *ahem* axle mileage can still continue to take a lot of pavement pounding.

Opening with the catchy "This And That", the current BUCKCHERRY lineup of vocalist Josh Todd, guitarists Stevie D and Billy Rowe, bassist Kelly LeMieux and drummer Francis Ruiz are on solid rock 'n roll form. With other follow-up tracks such as "Good Time", the shimmying "With You" with its heavily-inspired intro straight out from the SCORPIONS' "The Zoo", the romping "Turn It On" and the punkish-sounding rager "Keep On Fighting", the band display their brass mix of upbeat hard rock and gritty garage punk to great success. And with tracks such as "Feels Like Love" and the orchestra-driven "Pain", the band also display their darker yet sensitive side of the party facade to similar success - Todd's own earnest vulnerability and confusion are laid bare in his lyrics, particularly in this song where he professes to the subject of his affection that he can neither live with nor without them, reading and sounding like a moment of regret and can be easily interpreted as a brief moment of forbidden romance or an ongoing battle with personal demons. Whatever the subject of the song is, Josh Todd is due his credit for his mature take on crafting the perfect ballad. Neither maudlin nor overly sentimental, it's a ballad that achieves the rare feat of owning one's frailty. And closing out the album is a surprisingly decent cover of "Summer Of '69" which had previously closed many of the band's live shows, now finding a new life as a studio track.

In closing, Vol. 10 doesn't just highlight BUCKCHERRY's strengths as one of the last true rock 'n rollers from the halcyon days of the Hollywood scene, but also their ability in crafting as many catchy songs as possible. Guess that album title at a second glance is clever after all.

5.0 Out Of 5.0

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BUCKCHERRY ON TOUR:

• 6/1 - Arnolds Park, IA - Captains Getaway
• 6/2 - Dubuque, IA - Q Casino
• 6/3 - Manhattan, KS - The Hat
• 6/4 - Colorado Springs, CO - Sunshine Theatre
• 6/6 - Roswell, NM - The Liberty
• 6/7 - Flagstaff, AZ - Orpheum Theatre
• 6/9 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
• 6/10 - Lincoln, CA - The Venue @ Thunder Valley Casino Resort - With Tesla
• 6/16 - Broken Bow, OK - Hochatown Saloon
• 6/17 - Pittsburgh, KS - Kansas Crossing Casino
• 6/18 - West Plaines, MO - The Oasis
• 6/20 - Ft. Smith, AR - Temple Live
• 6/21 - Murfreesboro, TN - Hop Springs
• 6/23 - Renfro Valley, KY - Renfro Valley OBT
• 6/24 - Johnstown, PA - Thunder in the Valley
• 6/25 - Peterborough, ON - The Venue
• 6/27 - Moncton, NB - Tide and Boar
• 6/28 - Summerside, PEI - Harbourfront Theatre
• 6/29 - Halifax, NS - Marquee Ballroom
• 7/1 - Ottawa, ON - The Brass Monkey
• 7/3 - Thorold, ON - Moose and Goose
• 7/4 - London, ON - London Music Hall
• 7/5 - Oshawa, ON - Biltmore Theatre
• 7/7 - Detroit, MI - Funfest
• 7/8 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest - With Tesla
• 7/9 - Wisconsin Dells, WI - Crystal Grand Music Theatre