Hard rock fans may recognize Chip Z’Nuff of the eighties glam-band Enuff Z’Nuff, Chicago-based icons. Over his lengthy and fulfilling career, he’s been known as a singer/songwriter, musician, producer, and radio personality, proving he’s more than just a one trick pony. Welcoming his solo album Perfectly Imperfect, Chip Z’Nuff is back with brand new material and just as authentically himself as ever. Perfectly Imperfect kicks it back to his glam and hard rock roots while also identifying in psychedelic sounds and 90’s-styled mellow chord progressions, an intriguing blend of musical diversity.
Moving forward past the album’s intro (titled “The Church”), “Welcome to the Party” is an accurate title of the second track, an energy-driven song full of rollercoaster verses working their way up to an exciting chorus, except unlike a rollercoaster there’s no drop down. “Welcome to the Party” maintains that exhilarating energy all the way through to the end.
A trippy ride of ever-changing highs and lows and sliding riffs make up the next track, “Doctor (I’m Going Down Can You Save Me).” The psychedelic undertones of the album are most eminent in this song, followed with a hard rock solo that concludes the bridge, leading back into the catchy chorus that’s far too easy to find yourself singing along to.
“Ordinary Man” holds true to the downbeat mellow ambience that’s reminiscent of artists like the late Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, and Radiohead. A deep underground-rock sound sharpens the edges of the song keeping it from becoming a light bop although moving onto the next song, “Heaven in a Bottle” is a dreamy poem that can persuade any listener to fall in love with it, well balanced with picturesque lyrics, fun choppy riffs, and including a perfectly placed key change near the end that excites the chorus again. Chip Z’Nuff released a music video to accompany “Heaven in a Bottle,” and it’s shown to be one of his most popular songs, although funny enough this is the only song on the album not written by Chip himself, excluding the last track which is a Mott the Hoople cover.
Track number seven “I Still Hail You,” begins in an edgy electric swing before sliding into soft rock instrumentals not unlike “Heaven in a Bottle.” “I still Hail You”, however, gives off more elusive, exuberant sounds, and vocalizations, while he sings about the lives of different people ending with croons of ‘love.’
“3 Way” chimes in with a rockabilly groove that seems to compliment Chip’s aesthetic fashion sense from his videos. Traditional blues progressions make up the backbone of this song as he sings about fun times.
Ending the album is the Mott the Hoople cover, mentioned further back in this review. “Honaloochie Boogie” was already a funky principal of ‘70’s glam rock but Chip Z’Nuff’s version brings out a newer sound that gives it a modern resonance while still remaining true to the original groove. It’s a solid ending to Perfectly Imperfect, closing out the album in an iconic yet familiar staple.
Perfectly Imperfect is scheduled for a March 18th release date with a line of special guests such as Joel Hoekstra, Steven Adler, Dax Nielsen, and Daniel Hill (of Enuff Z’Nuff).
By I’m Music Magazine Writer Alice Kearny
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