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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Steinman? Who needs him?, April 13, 2004
Here we are with a post-Bat II Meat Loaf album that isn't Bat Out Of Hell III, so it is basically asking the question - is `Bat Out Of Hell' the only thing that makes Meat Loaf music sell?
The answer, according to the charts at least, is no. Welcome To The Neighbourhood is not a Bat Out Of Hell album - in fact, only two songs on it are written by Jim Steinman, the architect of Bat Out Of Hell I and II, but this is - regardless - one of Meat's best LPs of all time.The double record or single CD album kicks off with Where The Rubber Meets The Road. This is a brilliant track written by Paul Jacobs and Sarah Durkee, who Meat Loaf fans may recognise as the minds behind the 1984/85 hits Modern Girl and Piece Of The Action, as well as the majority of the album Bad Attitude. It's a brilliantly written song which is somewhat tongue-in-cheek and definitely controversial - the way Meat Loaf music so has the potential to be. I'd Lie For You (And That's The Truth) took the UK charts by storm - this beautiful ballad by Dianne Warren is a great duet which really shows off female singer Patti Russo's talent. She is also showcased elsewhere on the album. This single went no.2. If you liked the `Bat Out Of Hell' albums, then the next track should be right up your alley. Original Sin is by Jim Steinman and was originally released in 1989 on the album of the same name by female quartet `Pandora's Box'. This short-lived group had some great songs on their one and only album, and Original Sin is definitely one that is worth of recognition. Simple little ditty 45 Seconds Of Ecstasy is a bit of a let down after the spectacular song that precedes it, but if you are disappointed by it, then don't worry - the track that follows will inspire you to continue on with the album anyway. Running For The Red Light, written by a variety of composers including Meat Loaf himself, is a brilliant rock track that is comparable to classics like Rock 'n' Roll Mercenaries and, particularly, All Revved Up With No Place To Go. Keyboarder Jeff Bova wrote the instrumental Fiesta and it is featured here, played entirely on keyboard and keyboard programming - supposedly. I'm not sure I believe that, but you never know nowadays. One thing no Meat Loaf album could possibly be without is a moving ballad of some kind. Well, this one's packed with them. The culmination of the first half of the album is Jim Steinman's classic Left In The Dark. Though Steinman did it a lot better on the 1981 album Bad For Good, it is very well performed here by Meat, although it critically lacks the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, which is possibly what made the Steinman original so good in the first place. Dianne Warren's second contribution to the album comes in the form of Not A Dry Eye In The House, the second single and a ballad of epic proportions, not that different from I'd Lie For You, in fact. The video clip to this song was filmed in a historically maintained London theatre and looks absolutely brilliant. To show that not only females can sing duets, Meat Loaf teams up with songwriter Sammy Hagar to perform Hagar's brilliant Amnesty Is Granted, a great rock track that keeps the spirit of the album up between ballads. It is followed immediately by If This Is The Last Kiss (Let's Make It Last All Night), which is basically I'd Lie For You chapter II, as it is not only by Dianne Warren, but it is also a Patti Russo duet and is basically the same content matter. Martha is a classical ballad which has been brilliantly rendered by Meat and the Neverland Express, as it is undeniably a great song, but it is perhaps one of the lesser tracks on an album packed to overflowing with great songs. All good Meat Loaf records need a nice, calming track to close them out, and there have been some great ones in there - For Crying Out Loud, Everything Is Permitted, Fallen Angel, Sailor To A Siren, Rock 'n' Roll Hero and Lost Boys And Golden Girls - so whatever got the job of closing out Welcome To The Neighbourhood would want to be something pretty special. And it is - Where Angels Sing is a track on comparable grounds with For Crying Out Loud which is the best piano ballad of all time, so that's really saying something. So there's no Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad, and a distinct lack of I'd Do Anything For Love (Although this time around, Meat will Lie For You), but who cares? Meat Loaf had quite a successful career through the `80s with other composers, and he has continued that glorious tradition here. A must have album.
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is Meat Loaf's 
