DDRIVE: "3D"

Rating: 5/10

Label: TSM/SLW 2011

Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Geeez, the title of the album reads indeed, "3D", and you'll get a pair of red/green-blue tainted glasses to watch/read the (crap) booklet. What's so great about 3D anyhow? It's the year twenty eleven (2011) and we still haven't been able to come up with anything better and more improved, upgraded, than the ancient old 1950's 3D glasses??? Ehem, anyhow, DDRIVE began their journey in 2004 when guitarist Don Mancuso (Lou Gramm, Black Sheep, Cheater) put together his second solo recordings after finishing tracks for Phil Naro's (Talas, Peter Criss, 24K) "Glass Mountain" project. The two of them decided to continue working together and this being their second release, originally released in 2010.

The albums reeks of seventies denim rock and acts such as Bad Company, Free, and indeed, Black Sheep. It's all very much steeped in the same basic formula and structure as Mr. Big and thus why special guest Billy Sheehan pops up every now and then with his roaring bass-guitar. The melodies are going nowhere though and the plodding of "Dig Down" and "Down Deep" made me think of the fiasco project of the mid-eighties, The Firm, which included Bad Co's Paul Rodgers as well as Led Zep's Jimmy Page (unbelievable). Lousy songwriting and choruses like this one from "1 to 7", where the boys are coming up with killer lines such as "1,2,3,4,5,6,7 - we're gonna make it to rock n roll heaven", makes me rather wanna listen to Lady Gaga and her "unique" pop melodies. Bog average and it's a shame really as Mancuso/Naro are great musicians. Sing-a-long now, "1,2,3,4,5,6,7"... duh.

www.ddrive.com