Song Titles:  
Disc 1 
01: Crash N' Burn - 5:05
02: 1,000 Miles Away - 5:03
03: When Some Nights - 4:29
04: Forever - 5:24
05: Living A Lie - 4:41
06: When Love Finds A Fool - 5:36
07: Give It Up - 4:12
08: Mirror Mirror - 4:40
09: Stay - 4:33
10: Down In Flames - 5:14
11: The Hunger - 5:05

I've got another Dokken-related review for you. This one, as I've already spelled out, is Don Dokken's solo project. Don's solo thing came about around 1988 when George Lynch and "Wild" Mick Brown left to form the moderately successful Lynch Mob. Don wanted to continue working under the Dokken name but Lynch sued for the name and that plan was scratched. Don started a supergroup band which of course was called Don Dokken. The band, besides Don featured John Norum (guitar, Europe), Billy White (guitar), Peter Baltes (bass, Accept), and Mikkey Dee (drums, Motorhead). For people who want little unknown facts, Ken Mary (House Of Lords) and Kelly Hansen (Hurricane) sing backup vocals here. Also, Don Dokken's real name is Donald Maynard Dokken.

1) Crash N' Burn 10/10

Mr. Scary himself couldn't have come up with a better opener. This gets going with a very cool acoustic guitar lick and distortion kicks in. The song is set off like a firecracker. BANG! John Norum has does some superior axework here. Does it "Crash N' Burn?" No fuckin' way! Not only is it set off like a firecracker, it smokes like one too. The solo even smokes.

2) 1,000 Miles Away 9/10

Starts out slow with piano and Don's vocals. Then...LET ERRRR-RIP. The guitar riff tears its way in. Once again the verses sound like typical Dokken. Without Lynch, this sounds better than the debut album by Lynch Mob that was released in the same year. Lynch Mob was great and everything but it doesn't compare to this.

3) When Some Nights 8/10

Begins with Dokken-like guitar playing. The most Dokken-like song we've hit yet. It sounds like something from the Under Lock And Key album. The chorus harmonies are strong, not as tight as Dokken's though. We've hit another cool song. Once again, John gives us smokin' guitar work. Not as strong as the first two songs, but still good.

4) Forever 9/10

Starts out with wind chimes, and guitar picking similar to that on "Unchain The Night." Also has a feel similar to "Dream Warriors." I'd say this sounds like a cross between Under Lock And Key and Back For The Attack. Don, John, Billy, Peter, and Mikkey sound tight here. Probably the tightest song we've hit yet.

5) Living A Lie 10/10

Fast rocker. No, it's not as fast as "Tooth And Nail." Now if I went around telling people this sucked, I'd be the one "Living A Lie" here.

6) When Love Finds A Fool 9.5/10

A power ballad. It's not quite "Alone Again II" but this is still a beautiful song. If you don't like ballads, hurdle over this one, but if you want something to dance cheek to cheek to, this is right up your alley.

7) Give It Up 10/10

Give it up for one of the best songs on the album. It starts out with the bass and drums, and Don's talking role. It says: "And then God created the word, and he said listen good..." quietly he says"...and then I fucked up." The verses are awesome, the choruses suck the big one....kidding, they're awesome too. The 2nd hardest song on the album.

8) Mirror Mirror 9/10

Mirror mirror on the wall, does this here song suck at all? No way dude, you've asked me that like a million times. "Mirror Mirror" was the single from this album that kept Don's presence known while Dokken was disbanded. Just about every song on this album is great, and this certainly isn't the oddball out. Mirror mirror on the wall, does this here song suck at all? I think you know the answer to that.

9) Stay 9/10

Come on, stay, I'm not done yet! This song is an unrecorded Dokken tune, which explains why it's the most Dokken-ish. Everything on this album is, but this was written with Dokken, but recorded for Don's solo project. It's got a Lynch-like lead solo. John nails that Lynch style almost like he's Lynch himself.

10) Down In Flames 9/10

Here it is folks, the album has gone down in flames. I lied. As the voice in the intro keeps saying "Trust me, everything is fine." What can I say about this? It kicks ass like every song here.

11) The Hunger 10/10

This starts out hard rocking and slows down in the verses like Seduce's "Too Much Ain't Enough." It reminds me so strongly of that song it's scary. If you've got a hunger for good music, bon appetit. Dinner is served. Time to pay the bill....one more listen of this album!

Comments

This was released in 1990, two years after Dokken's demise. Don would have kept doing solo albums, but he reformed Dokken in 1994 and released the comeback album Dysfunctional. Dokken has kept at it since then, as most of you may know. Something else for fact junkies, Dokken's 2002 album Long Way Home was originally intended to be a Don Dokken solo project, but for some reason or other, just because there was another original member ("Wild" Mick Brown), it was released under the Dokken moniker. Dokken's coming out with a new album this year. Don said it's like Tooth And Nail. I hope that proves to be true....

For more info go here http://www.dokken.net/

Score Key:
0: (scratches chalkboard with fingernails) ahh...I'm relieved
1-2: Weaker than weak.
3-4: Mediocre
5-6: Average
7-8: Good to Very Good
9: Great
10: Masterpiece
11+: How did I ever live without this?