LuLu (2011)

I’ll admit, I’m a bit stumped on this one. 

Before I begin… I really enjoy some collaborations, and I am always curious to see well-known artists attempt something new. But LuLu leaves me wondering if this release is supposed to be a joke or not.

I don’t need to remind you who Metallica is, or what their body of work consists of. Hell, I really enjoyed their last record (2008’s Death Magnetic), despite the horrible mastering job. They’ve had their ups and downs for many fans, just like any artist, and this seems to be another dive.

The music is actually pretty cool, and reminds me of some Master of Puppets-era ideas. So at first I was optimistic and somewhat excited to hear how LuLu progresses. It didn’t take long to hear legend Lou Reed mumbling incoherently, and I was left with the impression that he was completely hammered on every track. 

I’m serious… he sounds like he’s drunkenly mumbling to himself and someone just happened to stick a mic in front of him.

Spoken-word collabs have worked before. Ben Folds has done a couple of projects along those lines (with William Shatner in 1998, and again in 2010 with Nick Hornby…sort of). Those releases, although not really my cup of tea, were still fascinating and certainly worth checking out. 

But LuLu leaves me with the feeling that I should just pretend this project never happened, and wait until the next official Metallica record drops. In the meantime, I’ll be bobbing my head to the newest Megadeth release.

Bottom Line: I know this is probably not my most well-written album review, but this is also not Metallica’s most well-written collection of music. I’m just leveling the playing field. Write a good record, and I’ll write a good review. Deal?

Rating: 4/10

-Clay Lancaster (www.claylancaster.com)