When I first heard that Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman were doing another record I was very excited.  I know they are usually hit and miss records, but when they hit…they hit it out of the park (Bat Out of Hell 1 & 2).  That is why this was a sad album review for me to write. The reason is because one of our great rock vocalist is great no more.  Meat Loaf’s voice is shot.

This is quite possibly the worst album I have ever heard and especially the worst album of the year.  Meat Loaf’s vocals are no where in the same realm of the greatness it was and as a result it turns this album into a sad realization of his future as a singer.  Jim Steinman’s music can’t save the album because when you hear Meat’s voice it actually makes the music sound horrible as well.

There were several female vocalists brought in to accompany Meat, but they don’t sound good enough either to save this album.  There is not one song on this record I will keep in my music library…not a one!

You do get some epically long songs like you would expect from the duo, but the magic is definitely gone.  The song “Going All the Way is Just the Start” is over 11 minutes and “Souvenirs” is over 8 minutes long.

As I was listening to the song “Loving You’s A Dirty Job (But Somebody’s Got to Do It)”, I actually started to enjoy it but only because I was thinking about and singing the song by Ratt of the same name (but not the same song) in my head.  I am going to give you that version in video so you can listen to something good.

I knew from other reviews that this was not going to be a good listening experience, so I had my expectations pretty low.  However, they were not low enough.  It was the most painful drive into work as I was listening to it.  I have never wanted to get to the office faster than that morning.

Now I want to speak to the record executives at SLG, LLC (a division of Columbia Music).  What the hell were you thinking in releasing this album.  I can’t imagine you released it without listening to it, but maybe you are that stupid.  Meat Loaf’s reputation should not have been soiled by this album.

You should have had the balls to say no and not release it and save his legacy from the beating that it is taking with all these negative reviews.  If you were contractually obligated to do it, then just pay him the money you owed and release him from his contract, that would have been the decent thing to do.

Ok, I am done.

Track Listing:

1. “Who Needs the Young” – Delete
2. “Going All the Way Is Just the Start” (A song in 6 movements) (feat. Ellen Foley & Karla DeVito) – Delete
3. “Speaking in Tongues” (feat. Stacy Michelle) – Delete
4. “Loving You’s a Dirty Job (But Somebody’s Got To Do It” (feat. Stacy Michelle) – Delete
5. “Souvenirs” – Delete
6. “Only When I Feel” – Delete
7. “More” – Delete
8. “Godz” – Delete
9. “Skull of Your Country” (feat. Cian Coley) – Delete
10. “Train of Love” – Delete

o keepers out 10 songs – 0% (0 out 5 stars).  I am sorry I don’t have anything good to say about this album.  I really wanted to be able to give a glowing review. Please save your money and your ears from the torture that has been released upon us by money grabbing record labels.  Listen to any other Meatloaf album and remember him that way and not this way.