Music Recommendation: Hang Cool Teddy Bear

Hang Cool Teddy Bear by Meat Loaf (2010)

Who out there can remember the first time they heard a Meat Loaf song? I had heard of the world-famous Bat Out Of Hell album from the time I was in high school (late '80s), but the first time I actually heard Meat was on "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" from 1993's Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell. Yes, I'll admit the titles of both album and song were ridiculously long and so was the song (the album version clocks in at 12:00). I became a much bigger fan of Mr. Loaf after 2006's Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose, though. While it was not the best album of the series, it was my first proper introduction to this genre known as "rock opera." After really getting in to Bat III, I hastily bought I & II to fill out the collection and love listening to them for the sheer lunacy of the whole thing: big production, bombastic arrangements, crashing drums, cranking guitars, wailing vocals...the whole over-the-top kit and kaboodle.

When I heard Meat was coming out with another album, I wondered, though...can he do it again? I had heard him singing in live recordings and his voice seemed pretty well shot, but I thought that the magic of the studio might provide another good album. Another consideration was songwriting; for Bats I and II, all the songs were written by Jim Steinman; for III about half the songs were selected from the Steinman songbook (he and Loaf don't work together anymore) and the rest were written in the same style. Having exhausted the potential of Steinman's work, none of these songs bears his name, although many seem to bear his signature style.

The number of guest stars that are name-dropped on this album is impressive in and of itself: Kara DioGuardi (from American Idol) duets while Hugh Laurie (TV's House) plays piano, Steve Vai and Queen's Brian May provide guest guitar work, Jack Black (Meat Loaf played his father in Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny) screams background vocals on one track, and tracks were authored by luminaries such as Jon Foreman (Switchfoot) and Jon Bon Jovi. Would the sheer guest-star power overwhelm the album? The answer is a definitive "No."

Forget the flimsy "backstory" of a soldier dying on the battlefield and these songs being him dreaming of possible alternate futures that he won't have a chance to live. As concept for albums go, that's just a lousy one. The songs, though, are a mix of fun ("Los Angeloser"), overly dramatic ("If I Can't Have You"), artistic ("Song of Madness"), nostalgic ("Elvis in Vegas") and heartbreaking ("Did You Ever Love Somebody"). I read someone opine that this may not be the best Meat Loaf album, but it is the best of his albums without Jim Steinman's songs. Since I don't have any of the other Steinman-less albums, I can't make that statement, but I will say it is better than Bat III and is just a load of fun to listen to. If you ever liked Meat Loaf, you should give this album a try. I don't think you'll regret it.