RECKLESS LOVE’S “HOT” LEAVES US COLD

I’ve been a long-time (and rather outspoken) fan of the glam revival that is sleaze metal, but I can quite honestly say that “Hot,” by Reckless Love, is one of the worst songs I’ve heard all year.

It doesn’t get much fluffier than Reckless Love. They’re literally modern-day hair metal; all looks and no substance. In simplest terms, that’s what distinguishes crappy hair bands desperately clinging to a gimmick from bands that just happened to fit the musical and physical definitions of a genre (but actually made good music). I’d compare Reckless Love to Tigertailz rather than anything by, like, Cinderella (a.k.a. “music I can stand”). But I still prefer Steevi Jaimz and his Marq Torien rasp (“Amazing,” from his solo project, is pretty good) to anything by the overly fake-tanned Finns. Man, and I just wrote a piece approving of that country’s bands. Way to wreck the curve, guys.

The song itself is brain-numbingly easy to swallow. I could totally picture it as a Miley Cyrus and David Lee Roth duet. (Which will probably happen one of these days, God help us all.) Perhaps I’m jealous that lead singer Olli Herman is prettier than I am, but there’s just something about this band that rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it’s because he knows he’s prettier than I am. Modest too — as the song ends, he definitely says, “I’m sweating here, maybe I should take my top off!” Shoot me now.

Poor Herman, though.  As the replacement singer for Crashdiet after founder Dave Leppard committed suicide, in the world of sleaze metal he’s already got one significantly shrill fandom dead set against him (He’s like Crashdiet’s Gary Cherone. Current singer Simon Cruz is more Hagar).

But he seems to be doing all right with Reckless Love. Nothing I would listen to voluntarily, but hey, if you’re into it, “Hot,” is out now with its accompanying video (above) and the band’s new album will be out sometime later this year.

-LF