Music Review: Meat Loaf - Hell in A Handbasket

Few people know this, because this wasn't publicized, but Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf have broken up. It was back in 2006, when they were working on "Bat Out of Hell 3." The story goes that Steinman had some heart trouble in the middle of recording, and had to take time off. Meat finished the album with Desmond Child, who is not bad at all. In fact, for people who know that name, you'll attest to the fact that he's pretty damn good! There are few details about it on line, but one can assume that there was enough bad blood to warrant a gag order.

So, when Mr. Aday recorded "Hang Cool Teddy Bear" last year, it wouldn't be his first without Steinman's material, but it seemed to have a definitive point to it. I'd compare it to the first party a guy goes to after a bad breakup where he knows he's going to see his ex. So, he invites this "Hot Chick" to be his date for the party; you know, to prove that he has moved on, and can do sooooo much better than her. Problem is, he overdoes it, and brings a girl who is pretty skanky, and he just embarrasses himself. And you feel kind of bad for the guy, because you can see how badly he wants to be over her, but he's just overcompensating SO MUCH. There have been some damned mediocre Meat Loaf albums in his canon, but "Hang Cool..." is the only one I'd really call "terrible."

I prayed and prayed that his new album, "Hell in a Handbasket" would be better; let me just say, he's finally over the breakup.

His voice is hanging in there... such that you can really feel the effort on some tunes, and you can almost sense the vocal coach just offstage signalling him, to "open more" and "Support the tone." But the songs are really good! In the absence of Jim Steinman's prophetic anthems, he's always done well with the music of Diane Warren, Desmond Child, and even Nikki Sixx. This collection has some great songwriters behind it in a similar style. Some of these songs were written for "Hang Cool..." but then scrapped, "when the album took a different creative direction." (Reading that on wikipedia, I chuckled a little.) I think that THIS is what a Steinman-less Meat Loaf album should be, not that other crap! The only thing better, of course, would be a reunion!