Customer Reviews

Supernova

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Unlike most who are buying this album, I never even watched "Rock Star" on TV. I had no idea who Lukas Rossi is until I picked this album up. I'm just a fan of Metallica, Motley Crue and Guns N' Roses and wanted to see what this "super-group" had to offer, as a band with Tommy Lee, (drums) Jason Newsted (bass) and Gilby Clarke (guitar) looks good on paper.

It should be noted that none of the celebrity musicians on season two of "rock star" were the principal songwriters in the bands that made them famous. Newsted and Clarke were basically just fill-ins for Metallica and Guns N' Roses, respectively, when Cliff Burton died and Izzy quit. In Motley Crue it was bassist Nikki Sixx that wrote most of the songs.

Still, I was exited when it was announced that Clarke would be the lead guitarist for such a high profile project, as I have followed his solo career throughout the 90s/00s and have always regarded him as an underrated talent and underappreciated songwriter. With an awesome drummer like Tommy Lee and a stellar bassist like Jason Newsted supporting Clarke, Rock Star Supernova's self-titled debut should be great, right? Unfortunately, this is not the case.

The songs themselves aren't actually that bad. The music on "Rock Star: Supernova" sounds pretty retro, like T-Rex meets Sweet--in other words, the music has a real classic 70s sound, but with a modern production. The problem is the songs just aren't that memorable. Gilby Clarke has made some awesome solo albums in a similar vein, most notably "Pawnshop Guitars" (1994) and "The Hangover" (1997). Unfortunately, most of Clarke's contributions to "Rock Star: Supernova" sound like warmed-over out-takes that weren't good enough for his solo albums. The songs written by Lee, Scott Humphrey and producer Butch Walker with or without Clarke are just totally bland, middle-of-the-road commercial drivel. Butch Walker's ultra-slick production takes away any balls that this music could have had.

Singer Lukas Rossi isn't all that bad--he's actually a competent singer, but there isn't anything special about him either. He's totally faceless. It's as though anyone could have sang on this album. Clarke, Lee and Newsted have shared the stage with the likes of Axl Rose, Vince Neil and James Hetfield...Rossi is no Axl Rose...

There are some good songs on here, like the infectious "Headspin," "Leave the Lights on" and the dark closing track "The Dead Parade." But most of the songs, however, are just "ehh." This is just middle-of-the-road, commercial pap. It wouldn't be too hard to imagine the songs on this album as the sound-track to a WB coming-of-age show. This is mall-rat, teen music and not something that GN'R, Motley or Metallica fans want to hear

I've read many reviews on this band and disagree with most of them! First of all, let me say, although I watched Rock Star; Supernova, I thought most of the so called rockers were really nerds who turned to the dark side, including some of the professionals! Still, there was an obvious standout from day 1, Lucas! Although it took me a while to warm up to his cockyness, ultimately, his pipes and edgyness won me over! After he was chosen and I heard Supernova's songs on TV, I thought they lacked edge. That's why I was pleasantly surprised when the CD was released that the edge was added. Rossi's voice not only sounds "stellar", but it is remanicently as unique as when I first head Bon Scott back in the 70's! Unlike American Idol and others, where you can tell that although there is some talent, mostly it just makes you appriciate the true professionals, Lucas slipped through producers fingers! This guy is the real deal! Supernova was lucky somebody hadn't signed him earlier. The only negative about this CD is that I had to listen to it several times before most of the songs caught my attention, except for the obvious standouts, like, "Lite the Fuse" and "Headspin". But once I listened enough, I now like almost all of them. I actually really like "The Dead Parade" except for the chorus, which is terrible! The rest of the song rocks! This CD had to be rushed into stores, so they weren't given a lot of time to come up with these songs, so I can only imagine how good they are gonna be! Unfortunately, because of the reviews I have read, I don't think this CD will sell enough to keep them together long enough for us to see them grow! I've leaned that most reviewer don't agree with what I personally like anyway, they seemed to dysect the music instead of just trying to see if they like it! Your loss, along with ours!

Like many, I was upset when I saw Lukas Rossi win the competition to front Rockstar Supernova. Of all the singers there, he was my least favorite. While I still would prefer to hear Toby on this album, Lukas has almost won me over. The song-writing however, leaves a lot to be desired. It is evident immediately, that the members of the band (Gilby Clarke, Tommy Lee, and Jason Newsted) were not the main song-writers in their respective bands. Songs like "Underdog", "It's On" and "Leave the Lights On" reek of mediocrity, leaving the listener to wonder how in the hell did these guys make it big (Gilby can thank Izzy for tiring of Axl's crap). If this is supposed to be dangerous rock n' roll, it's the equal of the danger one might encounter from a butter knife.
Now there are some good songs on here, seriously. "Be Yourself (and 5 Other Cliches)" has a catchy-as-all-hell chorus, while "Social Disgrace" has an eerie menace to it. Lukas' original, "Headspin", which I loathed when he sang it on the show, is much improved here. I know Jason criticized Lukas' vocal stylings on a few occasions, so maybe it sunk in, as Lukas's voice has improved greatly. Or maybe he's just a terrible live singer.
Before you write this off as 'corporate whoring', at least download a song or two, and give them a chance. Do I think they'll make a lasting, important mark on music? No, but overall this is a fun album.

Watched the series on pay. Saw the guys in Brisbane - sadly minus Jason Newstead, which didn't make for a very outstanding concert. I decided to take a chance and buy the cd anyway, and am very pleased to say it is exceptional, the sound is great, Lucas does the vocals justice(even if I am biased to Toby R).
All in all a good buy, well done guys.

I was quite pleasantly surprised at the quality of the songs on Rock Star Supernova. Tommy Lee (Motley Crue), Gilby Clarke (Guns N Roses), and Jason Newstead (Metallica) teamed up in the television show of the same name to find Lukas Rossi as their vocalist. All the songs, except one, are quite entertaining. They are more or less typical pop songs - unlike some of the previous work of the bands' founding members. But they are entertaining and fun songs and I quite enjoy the album.

First off,this is not Metallica,Motley Crue or Guns N Roses and I am glad it isn't.I like the bands that Gilby,Tommy and Jason hail from,but this is a different sound than those.The three musicians play off each other well and the addition of Lukas as vocalist really sets them apart from other bands today.The songs are well written played and sung.I have listened to this CD many times and it just seems to get better with each listen.I hope these guys are around for a long time.Just open your minds,put all pre-conceived notions aside and enjoy.

My expectations for this album were cautious, since I questioned how serious Tommy/Jason/Gilby were about this project, but the whole album is solid, with several standouts - It's On, It's All Love, Headspin. In watching the show I was undecided who should win, but Lukas Rossi sings well on every song and actually sounds better on the album than he did on the show, with greater range than I expected. Too bad it doesn't seem to be getting much promotion - at my nearest record store it's shelved under Soundtracks rather than with regular albums - WTF? Hopefully this album will get some play and better promotion!

Loved the show, loved Lukas, love Tommy Lee, love Jason, and Gilby's Col. Parker album is one of my all-time favorites. Rockstar Supernova failed to impress me...at first. The more i listened to the album the more i grew to appreciate it. I mean how can you doubt the skills of ultra-slick producer Butch Walker. This led me to ask the question why didn't i like it. Well, i think the main reason was that i really didn't know what to expect. These guys weren't rehashing old motley or metallica, they were staying true to the spirit of the show in creating something new. I mean they even sent one contestant home after saying that everything had already been done in music. We had no prior knowledge. I know for me every Motley and Metallica album has been embedded in my DNA. I have a pre-disposition to motley and metallica songs. I tested this by playing it during class while my students worked. Without any pre-disposition several of my students asked who we were listening to and made references to which songs the liked. Which makes me wonder why these guys didn't get any promotion from their record label. Play it on the radio, it will be heard. I also wonder why no one signed Lukas' band Rise Electric. Those guys rock!!!!

We should have learned the lesson by now. Reality-TV just about never produces good music. From Bo Bice to Clay Aiken, it's safe to say that the lot of the prefabricated, faux superstars of the new millennium have been rather obnoxious and putrid. But when you give three well seasoned musicians in Gilby Clarke (ex-Guns N' Roses), Jason Newsted (Voivod/ex-Metallica) and Tommy Lee (Motley Crue) their own show to seek and employ a full-time singer, the results should fare slightly better than average, right? Sometimes yes, and sometimes no.

If you happened to catch the second season of "Rock Star," dubbed "Rock Star: Supernova," you are more than familiar with the winner, Lukas Rossi, and what he brings to the table. Rossi is the type of frontman who is trying desperately to fuse an old-school style with something a bit more modern. When I hear his vocals, I hear a Billy Idol impersonator doing his best Thom Yorke. Sometimes, it honestly works in the band's favor; Songs like "It's On," "Leave The Lights On" and "Underdog" work brilliantly with their huge choruses and stadium rock aura. Think Stone Temple Pilots covering Cheap Trick. The true star of the album, however, is Gilby Clarke, who proves to be a vastly underrated guitarist. It's sad that his most known work was as a hired gun in Guns N' Roses who lasted in the band about as long as Axl stays on stage on any given night. It's his riffs and hooks that truly carry this album. Tommy Lee and Jason Newsted also help, but don't show quite the personality they do in their respective bands.

Since most of the album was completed before Rossi was chosen, he has very few opportunities to stamp his mark on the material. When he does, however, it's odd and doesn't fit well with the rest of the material. Since I've been mostly positive about this album up until this point, let me say that the tracks with Rossi's credit on them turn out to be the weakest and most contrived (which says a lot, really) of the album. Songs like "Valentine" and "The Dead Parade" sound like really bad Muse b-sides and completely ruin any consistency that was established in the first half of the album. Production from Butch Walker should have saved the album overall, but all he seems to do is tone down the amount of energy the album should have held. Walker is known for his slick production, but he definitely overproduced this one.

Overall, it's an enjoyable album that, even if you can't admit it, will have you humming along within the first two tracks. If you're the slightest bit curious about hearing the album, I suggest picking it up. It might not be somthing you're gonna brag to everyone about listening to, but it's a solid guilty pleasure at least. It's main problem is that it is horribly inconsistent. If you wanna do arena-rock, do arena-rock. If you want to try your hand at edgy and experimental brit-pop, it's not gonna mix with the arena rock. Since they were victims of a lawsuit that required they tack on the title of the show onto the band name, perhaps they should have just given themselves a new name all together: Oil & Water. Perfect.

This will be the first and last CD for this band. It sounds like they were just doing their "job" when this was created. With the history of the members of this band they should be able to get into a room and jam for hours and create something special however it did not happen.

Instead you get a CD that now has Rossi as the stand out of the group. There were a few clues this would be the case as the members were not the most creative stand out members of their old bands in thier own right.

I bought it with high hopes but as a musician I think I just expected much more from members of bands that will go on as legends in the industry.

Headspin is the best song on this CD. It is the only one with emotion and it was created by Rossi. He will do better in his next band. I think Gilby, Tommy, and Jason took this project for granted.