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• MUSIC REVIEW (Alternative) •

Hole Celebrity Skin Artist Home Page Check price at Amazon.com

Label: DGC/Geffen Released: 9/8/1998

If Nirvana was "the Guns 'N' Roses it's cool to like", then Hole has become the Joan Jett it's cool to like. From the opening chords of the title track, it's eighties music with nineties production. You can almost sing the words to Jett's "I Love Rock and Roll" over the music of "Celebrity Skin". Before I get too far, don't get me wrong: this is a good review. I liked the eighties, and I liked Joan Jett, and I really like this Hole record. Except for one song where Courtney Love is trying a little too hard to sound like damaged goods. We all know how well Live Through This and The People vs. Larry Flynt did, so I wish she would give up the posturing. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this album whether you loved or hated Hole's previous works. Celebrity Skin is much more polished and melodic than earlier albums, yet maintains the lyrical grit (although slightly eroded over time) and musical crunch that is Hole's trademark.

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