Description

2021 release on black vinyl

With X, Def Leppard have enlisted the aid of Aerosmith collaborator Marty Frederiksen, whose opening Now draws together all the Leps trademarks–sweeping acoustic strums, sweet waves of backing vocals, guitars both chugging and screeching, and soaring keyboards–all moving towards an ecstatic climax. Then his Everyday and You’re So Beautiful slip into Cher-style pop-rock. Also there’s Andreas Carlsson and Per Aldeheim, co-creators of the Britney sound, whose Unbelievable is a big puffball of a ballad. But it’s really after the collaborations that X gets going properly. With Four Letter Word, those famous innuendos are back and singer Joe Elliott–for the first time–seems genuinely energised. Torn to Shreds is an old-school Lep ballad, pained sentiment building to sonic explosion, while Gravity and Girl Like You introduce techno squiggles in an echo of Slang’s experimentation. Best is the closing Scar, a five-minute epic, complete with screaming oriental guitars and those incredible vocal harmonies. It’s not Hysteria, then, but it’s a fine effort nonetheless.

Track list:
1. Now
2. Unbelievable
3. You’re So Beautiful
4. Everyday
5. Long Long Way To Go
6. Four Letter Word
7. Torn To Shreds
8. Love Don’t Lie
9. Gravity
10. Cry
11. Girl Like You
12. Let Me Be The One
13. Scar