Eliminator

 

    How have I not listened through a ZZ Top album yet? No clue, but here we are. You know 'Sharp Dressed Man', right? If not, then what rock have you been living under? I think the best way to describe the general sound of Eliminator is "Sharp Dressed Man, 11 times in a row"; that is to say, the music blends together a little. That's not necessarily a bad thing since ZZ Top's unique noise is pretty good, but it leads to some of the tracks being forgettable when they're up against the more famous songs, like 'Sharp Dressed Man' or 'Legs'. But like I said, that sound that every track has is a good one for sure. ZZ Top utilizes a combination of blues and and an almost country-style rock that you could say is akin to something like Creedence Clearwater Revival. This is especially apparent in their long instrumental breaks and guitar solos, which lend themselves greatly to the general song structure of the album, and just lets the instruments play around and sound great. And as simple as a lot of the performances may seem, there's a lot of more interesting techniques at play that are more subtle, such as switching up guitar styles mid-solo or synthesizing the drums (it's interesting to read, but I won't explain it all here). Like I said, if you like 'Sharp Dressed Man', then there's a lot more here that's just like it.

    Highlights: Gimme All Your Lovin', Sharp Dressed Man, I Got The Six, Legs, TV Dinners, Dirty Dog.

Rating: 5/6