It's Sixx A.M!!

 

My latest obsession is This is Gonna Hurt, the second album from Motley Crue bassist Nikki’s Sixx’s side project, Sixx A.M.  The band also features guitar work from DJ Ashba and excellent vocals from James Michael. 

I love this album - no filler here for me!  Put it on and let it play, from the opening title track right to the final song Skin, 11 songs in total.  Most of the songs are heavy/hard with catchy riffs and big melodic sing-a-long choruses, just the way I like it.  However, there are a few exceptions that dabble on the softer side.  One of my favourites is Sure Feels Right.  It is a slower to mid tempo song that is hard to resist tapping your foot to and maybe swaying your head back and forth with.  There is also the song Smile, a slower acoustic number and it ends off with the slow and haunting song Skin. This first single, The Lies of the Beautiful People, received a lot of positive reviews and it is a great song, but is just one of many great song on this one in my opinion.

Nikki Sixx is a very interesting guy.  In addition to this project and being the bassist from one of the world’s most notorious rock bands, Motley Crue, he has become a photographer, hosts a really cool radio show (Sixx Sense) and is a best selling author.  Check out the Heroin Diaries and his latest book, also called This is Gonna Hurt.  I have a copy of this one but haven’t had a chance to read it yet.  It also contains a number of Nikki’s photographs and some poems/lyrics from some of Sixx A.M. songs.  From just skimming this one and look at some of the pictures, Nikki’s perspective on things is certainly worth paying attention to.  Themes in the book appear to go hand in hand with the songs on this album.  In many ways the album acts like a soundtrack to the book.  Nikki often encourages us to look at the world in a different way than the norm and to see beauty in things we usually turn our heads away from.  I can’t wait to delve into the book and read it in its entirety. 

I am looking forward to seeing Nikki in person when he plays the bass for Motley Crue on their summer tour with Poison and The New York Dolls. 

I’ll leave this one with the song Are You With Me Now from this highly recommended album.  One of my favourite rock albums in a while!!  Check it out!!