Ted Nugent - SHUTUP&JAM!
by Kevin Wierzbicki
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It's no secret that Uncle Teddy likes to shoot his mouth off; he'll espouse his political opinions whenever he gets a chance. But there's one thing Nugent likes to do more than talk and that's play guitar. And play guitar he does on album opener "Shutup&Jam," roaring on an enhanced Chuck Berry riff while singing "You know who I am/You know where I stand/Shut up and jam!" as if to say to anyone who rags on him because of his outspokenness, "Get back to me when you can do this." Sammy Hagar joins Nugent on the stripped-down blues rocker "She's Gone;" fans won't have any problem singing along with this one since the lyrics consist of just the song title repeated over and over. "I Love My BBQ" is the perfect summertime song as Nugent rocks his way to the grill with beer in hand, sizzling up some protein while poking fun at tossed salads and humorously ending the song with the words "Tofu just might kill you!" "Throttledown" is an instrumental that, with Nugent and second guitarist Derek St. Holmes trading licks furiously, boogies like a big rig rocketing downhill with no brakes. "Semper Fi" has a Jimi Hendrix-like feel to it and is the best of the several songs here that give a nod to the U.S. military while "Trample the Weak Hurdle the Dead" is clearly anti-war but quite graphic nevertheless. "Never Stop Believing," performed early in the album as a rocker, is reprised as the slow and bluesy "Never Stop Believing (Blues)" to close the effort. This is the first all new studio album from Nugent in seven years but fans needn't worry that he's changed his sound; he's made a lengthy career out of playing loud and proud blue collar guitar rock and, without being too derivative, there's more of the same here. Order your copy of the album here.
Ted Nugent - SHUTUP&JAM!
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