Ted Nugent

There’s something to be admired in cock rocker Ted Nugent. While he’s an outright loon who adores hunting and moderate political incorrectness, the guy knows how to cut loose and have fun, as Love Grenade proves. It documents a borderline senior citizen with the mental maturity of a pre-teen boy via straightforward radio rock with a touch of animalistic pelvic thrust and enough boogie to get even the most anal retentive toes tapping. Tracks such as "Still Raising Hell,” "Funk U” and "Bridge Over Troubled Daughters” emote a thick stench of cheese but one can hear the Nuge laughing along with the enthusiastic energy that’s somewhat infectious. Naturally, a few throwaway tunes, including the 40th anniversary re-recording of the Amboy Dukes’ "Journey To The Centre Of The Mind” and the flat-out boring "Spirit of the Buffalo,” detract from the rugged pace but as a whole, Love Grenade is an aging rocker’s delight, another consistent piece of energised blues rock fitting well into the catalogue of his career.