I'm a big David Lee Roth fan. When I was kid, I had Diamond Dave right up there with Spider-Man and Batman, and my first legitimate heartbreak came when Van Halen and Roth parted ways. Of course, it wouldn't be long before Dave hit us with Eat 'Em and Smile, and while Van Halen would lose speed with Sammy Hagar at the helm, Roth was still killing it. Now, I'm a bit iffy on some of his solo work beyond Eat 'Em and Smile, but that album still gets a lot of play in these parts. Like most, I think that "Yankee Rose" is the best cut on the record, but lately I have been really taken with "Ladies' Night in Buffalo." In particular, I'm really digging Steve Vai's stripped-down guitar track, something he apparently rebelled against initially, though he has come to appreciate it over the years. The song is so very chill and it features Roth at his low-key coolest, exchanging all the usual bells and whistles for a bit of spoken word that is part quizzical rock song and part poetry. I was looking online and apparently it was pretty well-received at the time of the album's release, with Spin labeling it "alarmingly cool" and Rolling Stone also taking time to give the track props in their review of Eat 'Em and Smile. Anyway, they say sharing is caring, so that's what I'm doing. It may be 2016, but I'm still rolling with Diamond Dave and trying to figure out just what the hell this sublime groove that is stuck in my head is all about.
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| Well, it's not Van Halen, but the band Roth put together for Eat 'Em and Smile is a hell of a lot better than Van Hagar. |
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