Autograph - Buzz (2003)

Buzz is the fifth and final studio album by American hard rock band Autograph. Apart from lead singer and songwriter Steve Plunkett, the band has a completely new line up of musicians. The original band recorded three albums in the mid-eighties, and called it quits in 1989. The "Buzz" lineup did the same in 2005.

While I am taking my breath between two shows at the Sweden Rock Festival, my eyes fell on the new Autograph album. Buzz !!!

What ? Autograph is back ? Autograph is reunited ? I turn the CD and have a look at the back cover to realize that only Steeve Plunket is back. I mean that the original members who were playing on the wonderful first Autograph's record Sign In Please are not part of the reunion (Randy Rand, Steve Lynch, Keni Richards & Steven Isham). In other words, this is Steeve Plunket and Co. I guess Steeve Plunket has the rights of Autograph's name. Anyway, I jump on this Buzz because I am a big fan of Autograph and of Plunket's voice.

As Send Her To Me, Turn Up The Radio, Friday or Thrill Of Love have become through out these years my favorite glam hits - these songs are part of the Sign In Please album - I hit the play button with a suspicious feeling that Buzz won't sound like Sign In Please. I was right … After a few seconds, Steeve Plunket start to sing and I am down on my knees as I don't recognize at all his voice. It is like an alien version of Steeve original voice. I am not saying Steeve is out of tunes, far from that. I just can't believe this is him behind the microphone. But the biggest surprise lies somewhere else … Autograph sounds like old Def Leppard (Pyromania, Hysteria) !!!

Being a huge fan of Pyromania & Hysteria, I must admit I pretty like Buzz … even though the original sound of Autograph has vanished away. The starter - Break A Sweat - reminds you immediately Def Leppard - when Steve Clark was still alive and when Def Leppard was maintaining a polished hard rock sound. Calling today Pyromania or Buzz as part of the "metal family" seems a bit silly given the pop/rock touch of these records, but as you already know it, I like to have these type of CDs in my car … especially in summer holiday when I am in Greece ;)

Now as the comparison goes on, Def Leppard heavenly choruses are much better compare to the one on Buzz. I must also admit that the verse-brige-chorus song-writing structure is a bit predictable (old fashioned ?). There is still "enough sugar" to get this album on the radio - like it is the case for Gotthard - even though this type of music style is long gone dead. I would add that there is no killing track on this new studio album, which was the strongest quality of Autograph … in the 80's. Shake The Tree, She's The Reason or Buzz are good hard rock/glam tracks, but if you allowed me another comparison, Autograph is far away from Gotthard's magical song-writing. This is another time, another decade, another century ;)

If you are a fan of Autograph, you can try this one. This isn't their best work of course, but you won't be disappointed either. As for all of you who still don't know this band … isn't it too late to try this old-fashioned hard-rock sound ? Who knows …

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