ENUFF Z’NUFF – Finer Than Sin

Their 17^th studio album sees Chip Z’Nuff and his skilled bandmates in fine form as they deliver a well-crafted slab of power pop, which essentially means that all the group’s trademarks with respect to melody lines and atmospheres and so on are firmly in place throughout and that the mixture of glam rock, psychedelic rock, and 70s-inspired pop music works like a charm this time also. In other words, there is no mistaking that unique and easily identifiable sound, and we should all be grateful for that as Finer Than Sin contains plenty of memorable moments and lots of variety. The influences from Mott the Hoople, T. Rex, and The Beatles are as prominent as ever, and I dig the way in which the record creates an interesting dialectic between light and darkness; parts of the LP are uplifting while others are slightly more brooding and tinged with sadness. This makes for an interesting listening experience, and with its lively, unpolished production and solid dose of hooks and quality riffs, this is a worthwhile and entertaining output that undoubtedly deserves several spins/streams. Even the cover rendition of ‘God Save the Queen’ works well, which is quite the compliment as most versions of that classic by other outfits blow ass. Finer than Sin is inspired and bound to please fans of the band.