C.C., Pick up That Guitar and, Uh, Talk to Me . . .

C.C. DeVille is one of the most underrated guitar players in metal. One of the most underrated at least in 80s metal and, in particular, 80s hair band metal. With all the good guitar players in metal, I'm sure there will be some arguments here, but if you listen to Poison's stuff, you'll see what I mean. Listen to the opening runs in Fallen Angel and the fills he plays throughout. Smooth, fluid lines that build off the melody of the song. He does this frequently in Poison's songs, playing controlled melodic lines that complement each song individually.

Is he the most technically proficient player around? No, not one of the most technically proficient, but certainly more than competent. He knows his shit, that's what I'm saying. And he is one of the most tasteful players around. Whether it's adding organic note choices to ballads like I Won't Forget You and Every Rose Has Its Thorn or wicked runs in tunes like Talk Dirty to Me or Unskinny Bop, C.C. lays it down.

Still, you'll never find C.C. DeVille on anybody's list of best guitar players. Not unless the list belongs to a Poison fan. Even I must begrudgingly admit there are too many guitar players to include C.C. on such a list. And on second thought, I would still plead his case.

That said, I want to give the devil his due. He deserves to be mentioned. His vehicle is Poison and his licks are poison too. Pretty poison.

Do yourself a favor. Listen to some Poison and just take in the beauty of what it is to build solos, licks, and fills from the melodic foundation of a tune. Listen to C.C. play and see where he's coming from. Listen to his controlled chaos on some of those classic tracks. You don't have to call him a rock god, but at least admit there's some substance there.

Up All Night

Let's talk about Kip Moore and his debut album Up all Night. This CD has it all, baby. It's country with rock overtones. In fact, Kip Moore has sort of a Bon Jovi feel going on. The production of the album is fantastic, the songs are highly infectious and singable, and the lyrical content is poetry in motion.

The album was released in 2012. I remember when I first heard one of the songs. I happened to turn on a late-night talk show and there was Kip Moore and his band jamming away to a killer song called Beer Money. How can you argue with lyrics like this:

So come on, come on, baby, I'm buyin'.

I got enough to last us all night and

You got the kiss that tastes like honey,

And I got a little beer money.

Tonight, tonight, baby, we're drinkin'.

Let's wake the town that never stops sleepin'.

You got the kiss that tastes like honey,

And I got a little beer money.

Now those are cool lyrics. The instant I heard this catchy tune, I knew I had to buy Kip's album. I couldn't stop singing Beer Money for weeks. It's one of those songs that gets in your head and doesn't let go. 

And it's not the only good song on the album. There's also Crazy One More Time, an uptempo ballad. Check out the lyrics to verse one:

Come on out, Mary Jane, I'm lookin' through your window pane.

I heard the word, you're back in town.

I've got some cheap cigarettes, your favorite beer,

Girl where the dress I always dream about.

Again, very cool lyrics. Listen to the tone of the song, the rhythm, the way he makes the rhymes work. Incredible.

Other stand-out tracks include Drive Me Crazy, Everything but You, the beautiful ballad Faith When I Fall, and on the deluxe edition, Mary Was the Marrying Kind. Honestly, if I wanted to list every good song on this album, I would list every song on the album.

Kip Moore plays the bad-boy-with-a-heart image to the hilt. It shows in his lyrics. There's a lot of beer, women, and cigarettes here, along with trucks and motorcycles. If you like your country with a more modern edge, give Kip Moore's Up all Night a try. You'll dig it.