Van Halen's "A Different Kind of Truth"
“A Different Kind of Truth" is actually not bad; in fact, it's pretty good, all things considered.
On “A Different Kind of Truth," the first studio album from Van Halen to feature original lead singer David Lee Roth since “1984," the charismatic front man sings about trying to land that “stone cold sister soccer mom" he's chasing in “Honeybabysweetiedoll." But hooking up is the least of the challenges facing Diamond Dave and his bandmates in this year of their comeback.
Some of the higher hurdles: Can they pull off this reunion moment without killing each other? Can they convince their fans that bassist/son-of-the-guitarist Wolfgang Van Halen really has earned his place in the band and can lock in with drummer/uncle Alex Van Halen? And, most important to the band's success, is guitar maestro/dad Eddie Van Halen still able to effortlessly dance his fingers up and down the neck of his instrument in ways that not only support his claim as one of the great rock guitarists but advances his craft in a meaningful way.
And then there's the challenge of the marketplace: In the 28 years since Roth recorded a full album with Van Halen, the landscape has completely changed. When the band's original lineup last released a record, home taping was “killing" music and the question was whether to buy “1984" on LP or cassette, or borrow a friend's copy and tape over Foreigner “4."
Now the dilemma isn't just, should you spend money on the CD ($14.99 list price) or a digital copy (also—frustratingly—$14.99). It's also, how much are you willing to commit to buying in? Will a few dropped bucks on a handful of the best individual tracks suffice? Or will “A Different Kind of Truth" be the perfect Spotify streaming album, not good enough to pay hard money for but worth a mouse-click when you've got a spare few minutes? Or should you just ask your computery friend to Sendspace you a pirated copy?
Looking at this record in purely financial terms: It's got three works, “As Is," “Outta Space" and “Big River" that would warrant spending real money on. These could have been hits in the alternate universe in which Van Halen followed up “1984," not with the Sammy Hagar-helmed “5150" but with the original lineup intact. Three others are halfway decent songs that might click at some point ("You and Your Blues," “Bullethead," “Blood and Fire"), that you'd be advised to put in your queue for further reflection; a few harmless filler tracks; and three clunkers that the band should be reimbursing us for ("Tattoo," “Beats Workin,'" “Stay Frosty").
It's actually a perfect rock record for the pick-and-choose era: a handful of good songs that you can buy without having to deal with the fat.
