Instant Impressions: 'Road' by Alice Cooper

There are few musical artists that are as unique as Alice Cooper – as the creator of what’s now known as “shock rock,” Cooper is credited for bringing the theatrical element to live concerts, but his music is just as much of a spectacle. Throughout his career that spans over five decades, Cooper’s experimented with just about every subgenre of hard rock as they were happening, from the classic hard rock of the early 70s, to the punk and new wave of the late 70s and early 80s, to the glam rock of the mid to late 80s, to the industrial “loudness wars” and slicked-back alternative rock of the early 2000s – there’s not a lot of ground that Cooper hasn’t covered, whether that’s sonically, visually, or geographically.

Even in the modern day at 75 years of age, Alice Cooper still releases music on a consistent basis and tours the world for *at least* nine months out of each year between his solo career and second band Hollywood Vampires (featuring Johnny Depp and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry on guitars, along with Alice’s touring band). Many of his contemporaries and even bands who formed after he started have called it quits or retired from making music, but Cooper refuses to slow down and is still making quality music and delivering a quality show to his dedicated fanbase.

Cooper’s latest album, Road, sees his touring band in the spotlight - each member had a pivotal hand in the songwriting on this album, conceptually based on what it’s like to be on the road as a touring musician. Another noteworthy point of information is that Cooper wanted this new album to sound as live as possible to show off his group of talented musicians, so there are little to no overdubs on these recordings. The pre-released singles “I’m Alice,” “White Line Frankenstein,” and “Welcome to the Show” were all promising and added to the anticipation of the release of the full album, and now that day is here – feel free to listen along and follow my real-time track-by-track reactions below:

1. I’m Alice (3:55)

• I can’t imagine a better opening track – not just for the sake of the album’s concept, but this is a fitting opener for any Alice Cooper record
• It’s easy to visualize this being either an intro tape to a live Cooper show or playing over the speakers as the doors to the venue open
• The bridge at 2:03-2:37 has really grown on me the more I’ve listened to this single, and it’s probably my favorite part of the song
• Gotta love the callback to “Elected” at the end

2. Welcome to the Show (3:37)

• Out of the three previously-released singles, this was my favorite and Cooper’s strongest vocal performance of the three in my opinion
• It’s great that the song is energetic from the jump and, much like the vocalist, refuses to slow down
• This would be such a great stage song, I can already tell – not only can the theatrics be visualized, but it’s easy to see the guitar players themselves during the solo sections

3. All Over the World (3:53)

• There’s something about mid-tempo songs like this that makes it very easy to get stuck in one’s head – love the guitar work on this one
• As a former trumpet player, I’ve always appreciated the fact that Alice Cooper’s occasionally used classical horns in his songs – from “Some Folks” to “Holy Water,” that’s an element I’m glad to hear on yet another release from him
• Can’t help but wonder if a lyrical nod to “I’m Eighteen” in the chorus was intentional or if I’m just overanalyzing things

4. Dead Don’t Dance (3:31)

• Haven’t heard this heavy of an opening riff from Alice in a while, very Black Sabbath/Ozzy-esque
• Speaking of Ozzy, the vocal layers in the verses remind me of “Wake the Dead” from 2008’s Along Came a Spider, which featured Ozzy on backing vocals
• While the music is pretty dark and bluesy, the lyrics are pretty humorous (when the song starts with the line, “if I wasn’t in a band, I’d probably be a criminal,” you know you’re in for a ride)

5. Go Away (4:20)

• Aside from the vocal melodies, the element that sticks out to me the most right off the bat is Glen Sobel’s drumming, particularly his transitions and setups
• Super catchy chorus, some parts of which remind me of Alice’s cover of The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” – maybe it’s his vocals at the end of the chorus, maybe it’s the musical arrangement, or a mix of both, but there’s something there
• One of many things Alice does well is bringing emotional context to the lyrics he’s singing instead of simply singing through everything – in this case, it’s very amusing to hear his frustration escalate as the song goes on with each verse
• Love hearing the presence of the bass from Chuck Garric

6. White Line Frankenstein (3:41)

• Imagine a Frankenstein medley at an Alice Cooper show, with snippets of “Teenage Frankenstein,” “Feed My Frankenstein,” and now this song – I don’t know how it’d work out, but it’d definitely be fun
• I like to think that this song would be the unofficial anthem for all the truckers we always pass on the interstate
• It’s my understanding that Tom Morello made some contributions to this song, and it’s easy to hear his influence on the guitars here

7. Big Boots (3:14)

• It was said earlier, but with straightforward songs like this, it’s nice to hear the bass in a prominent fashion, especially during the verses
• In a lyrical way, this song reminds me of Alice’s 2017 Paranormal album, particularly the song “Fireball,” in the sense that while there’s a clear concept throughout the album, Alice and the band are still able to tell a story with just one song

8. Rules of the Road (3:48)

• It’s hard to explain, but this song feels like a second start to the album
• With a chorus as catchy as this, this is easily a good promotional song for short-form content/social media purposes
• While I’m always hit-or-miss with spoken word sections added to songs, I can’t deny the humor of this segment (I’m also curious to know if that was an intentional nod to Kiss’ “Love Gun” when the song kicks back in for the solos)

9. The Big Goodbye (3:33)

• Hands down my favorite opening riff of the album so far
• There’s so much to love about this one – the chunky guitars, the meter switch from the verse to the chorus, the backing vocals in the chorus, the drum setups, the guitar solos etc.
• Seriously can’t say enough good things about this song, definitely a standout for me

10. Road Rats Forever (4:05)

• It’s nice to hear Alice revisit a deep cut of his, with this one being from 1977’s Lace and Whiskey – definitely a relevant one to add, conceptually speaking
• The chorus in this version is a bit of an improvement in comparison to the original, particularly with the backing vocals more present

11. Baby Please Don’t Go (3:29)

• While Alice Cooper is known for hits like “School’s Out” and “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” people may be surprised to learn that he’s also the best ballad writer in the genre – from “I Never Cry” to “Something to Remember Me By,” truly nobody does it better than Alice
• It feels like such a long time since we’ve heard a new bona-fide ballad from Cooper in recent years, so to say I’m elated with this song would be a massive understatement
• Not only am I in love with the chord progression of the acoustic guitars, but the backing vocals help bring the song to life even more – it would’ve been easy to only have Alice’s vocal track, but the backing vocals help subtly pack more of a punch, even on a softer song like this

12. 100 More Miles (3:04)

• Feels like a great way to wind down an album in typical Alice fashion – it might just be me in my over-analytical fan brain, but I can hear shades of songs that appear towards the ends of his other albums, such as “The Awakening” from the iconic 1975 Welcome to My Nightmare and “Going Home” from the 1976 follow-up Alice Cooper Goes to Hell
• Interesting dynamic contrast between the verse and chorus
• The strings are a nice touch as well, along with the various guitar effects

13. Magic Bus (3:39)

• It’s always great to hear Alice Cooper cover The Who
• While I’d think this would be a great thing for Hollywood Vampires, the conceptual relevance is too spot-on to not have it on this album
• In literary terms, this song feels like an epilogue of sorts, or a new beginning (perhaps symbolizing the preparation and anticipation for the next tour)

Alice Cooper has always surrounded himself with fantastic musicians, but there’s something to be said about his current lineup – with the three-guitar attack from Tommy Henriksen, Nita Strauss, and Ryan Roxie, and the ultra-tight rhythm section with Chuck Garric on bass and Glen Sobel on drums, this is one of the best lineups Cooper has had in his career. After being together for almost a decade, the group has their live performances down to a science, and it’s great to be able to hear the band come together to create new contributions to the Cooper legacy. It’s been a long time coming, and the release of this album shows that the wait was worth it.

Musically, Road is a great sonic compilation of what makes Alice Alice – the album features several moments that call back to Cooper’s influences and previous moments throughout his career, including but not limited to a cover of The Who and the revisitation of an older album cut. Simultaneously, the band succeeds at making things feel new and fresh, so much so that it’s easy to visualize the band on stage playing these songs.

At this stage in his career, age will always be in the conversation in regards to Alice Cooper, and Road is another example of how age is nothing but a number for him. The high energy of his live band truly comes through on this album, and it’s a fantastic addition to Cooper’s extensive discography. It may not be long before we hear even more new music from Cooper and the band, with another new album already recorded and finished – as we wait for more details on that front, Alice Cooper is currently co-headlining the “Freaks on Parade” Tour across North America until the end of September, with support from Filter and Ministry. For tour dates and tickets, click here.

As of now, my top 3 standout tracks from Road are:

• Go Away
• The Big Goodbye
• Baby Please Don’t Go

If you listened along and also enjoyed the album, you can buy/stream Road here.

To keep up with Alice Cooper, click here.

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