One look at the cover for Todd Rundgren’s newest, and fans everywhere will fear that perhaps the legendary rocker has become Ted Nugent. Luckily, the content of Arena is nowhere near the zaniness of its look. As he proved first in the late 60’s and then in the following decades, Rundgren is a masterful songwriter, knowing full well went to pull the reins back on his own creations. As a result, the hot-n’-cold approach on Arena is a refreshing take for the kind of straight-up rock record it strives to be, and will most likely leave long-time Rundgren fans satisfied – and may even attract a few new ones.
Todd Rundgren established himself as a virtuoso of groovy rock and an avid live performer in the 70’s, able to produce crowd-pleasing stomps (“Bang the Drum All Day”) along with genuine singer-songwriter pieces (“Hello It’s Me” and “I Saw the Light,” among others.) That talent serves him well here, as no instrument on Arena – voice, guitar, or otherwise – ever takes precedent over the final product, a widespread error committed by many aging rock acts. Tracks don’t serve as mediums for screaming vocal harmonies or overdriven guitar indulgences; instead, every single piece is driven exclusively by care-given melody.
Some inevitably miss their mark (“Gun” is the biggest sinner here), but most are incredibly effective in hitting. The light, poppy “Afraid” and “Courage” have no place next to rocked-out tracks like “Mad” and “Strike” – but rules be damned, Rundgren says, switching between hard and soft with abandon. The slithering “Weakness” is a half-blues, half-rock screed that would require too much patience for a younger band; the quick-paced, shuffling “Today” finds Rundgren sounding like a calmed Jim Morrison warning of future apocalypse. But the face-changes keep on coming – “Bardo” sounds like a post-psychedelic entry from early Sub-Pop, while “Manup” serves as a fitting conclusion to the potpourri, changing tempo between verse and chorus with ease.
There are weak tracks, to be sure; entries like “Pissin” and “Panic” sound tired and out-of-date, trying to muster bravado but coming up with little, reminding listeners that some long-term acts spend half of their careers trying to recapture their original, youthful punch.
Fortunately for Rundgren, this is the exception rather than the rule for Arena, which alternates enough to keep most audiences interested in its sundry contents. Though in spots the production is decidedly predictable and the lyrics often forgettable, the album’s whole is musically compelling and sonically diverse. He might come across silly and ridiculous on its cover, but Todd Rundgren proves with Arena that he still has a lot of songwriting muscle and performance-minded chops.
Kevin Liedel, MuzikReviews.com Contributor
September 24, 2008
