Foxy Shazam

Top Lyrics By
Foxy Shazam

Foxy Shazam "The Church Of Rock And Roll" album

- Release date : January 2012 -

"The Church of Rock and Roll" is the fourth studio album by American rock band Foxy Shazam released on January 24, 2012. On December 23, 2011 the song "Welcome to the Church of Rock and Roll" was given as a free download to anyone who pre-ordered the album.

"The Church Of Rock And Roll" album tracks and lyrics

"The Church Of Rock And Roll" album reviews

Foxy Shazam always felt like a band that was looking to bring "over-the-top" back to rock & roll, pushing the envelope on bombast as if their mission was to make Sparks seem not only straitlaced, but dull by comparison. On The Church of Rock and Roll, however, it seems that change is in the air. From the album's titular opening track, where singer Eric Nally proclaims, "Your music sucks including us, it's time we clear our name," to the stark mission statement in the liner notes that lets the listener know, "Foxy Shazam is a jet plane going down and we have been playing the same tune the whole way. It just sounds different the closer we get to the ground," it's clear that the band is looking to reinvent itself. While songs like "Holy Touch" and "I Like It" still feel like the Foxy Shazam of years past, the winds of change can definitely be felt throughout the album. The band certainly hasn't lost their flair for the theatric, but instead of doing it with near-operatic blasts of rock energy, Foxy Shazam channels that energy into tighter, dancefloor-ready tracks. "I Wanna Be Yours" marches its way forward without ever losing control, giving the song a relatively restrained feeling that sort of gets to the heart of what the band is trying to do with the album. Rather than looking ever upwards for new ideas with soaring guitars and pure rock & roll grandeur, Foxy Shazam are expanding outwards, absorbing a whole new set of tools into their songwriting arsenal as they give their sound an overhaul. Even though the album has a transitional feeling, Foxy Shazam still manage to make their sonic renovation a fun ride, and The Church of Rock and Roll is an entertaining stop on the musical journey.

*** by Gregory Heaney, All Music ***

Like with Foxy’s previous efforts, The Church of Rock & Roll shines in its ballsy rejection of modern pop stereotypes, however, the new album slips in its contradictions. Nally vacillates between the gleefully outrageous (“Welcome to the Church of Rock & Roll” and “I Like It”) and the totally serious (“Forever Together,” where he recounts a conversation during which his young son begs him not to go on tour). Even in the breakdown of “The Temple,” Nally repeatedly whispers, “I am tired,” enunciating each word clearly and discontentedly.

Fans see Nally as rock’s anti-hero—the guy monkey-walking across the stage and jumping on bandmates’ shoulders during sets—so it’s a bit disappointing to listen to these foibles and realize that the singer is not, in fact, invincible.

But, The Church of Rock & Roll’s adherence to its titular theme is also commendable, as it tiptoes the demarcation that distinguishes concept albums from other LPs. Songs like “Holy Touch” and “Last Chance At Love” draw on all the best structural elements from ’70s arena rockers. “The Streets” features soulful choir-like backing vocals, funky bass thumpings and excellent muted trumpet work from Nauth. And on “Wasted Feelings,” Nally channels his inner Freddie Mercury with gender-bending falsettos.

While the majority of The Church of Rock & Roll succeeds in its extravagant homage to the holy temple of Rock, its moments of realism only serve as dysfunctional and disjointed disturbances to Foxy Shazam’s idyllic rock ‘n’ roll reverie.

*** by Hilary Saunders, Paste Magazine ***