Horns and Halos (US version)

Horns and Halos is exactly the album that Michael Monroe fans have come to expect from their hero. Though it’s tough following up the critically acclaimed 2011 album Sensory Overdrive—which fulfilled so many expectations—Monroe knows that if the writing comes to him then the playing won't be a problem. His backup band of bassist Sami Yaffe, guitarists Steve Conte and Dregen, and drummer Karl “Rockfist” Rosqvist are such rock ‘n’ roll lifers that they’re incapable of playing a false note untrue to their style. The former Hanoi Rocks leader comes fully equipped. “TNT Diet” opens as a guitar-heavy anthem, while “Ballad of the Lower East Side” is a poem of sorts to the city and the neighborhood Monroe has called home for decades, despite recent changes rendering much of it unrecognizable. “Strained Glass Heart” touches on his somber and romantic side, while “Child of the Revolution” kicks up the dirt of classic Stones-esque hard rock. The special edition adds two bonus tracks: “Happy Never After” and “Don’t Block the Sun.”