Another one of the classic Beau Hill produced albums. They took what worked on the first two and pumped it up with more energy. The only difference is the guitars and vocals are way up front with the drums sitting behind them. The overall feel of the songs is more up tempo so this works for what they are doing as things drop down to mid tempo on "Slip of the Lip" the drums come forward. There are some interesting grooves that intersect various sections of songs. Pearcy's voice has more grit and slithers around the riffs in a manner that separated him from what his peers were doing in 86.
This album finds the band reigning at the pinnacle of hair metal's first wave. It still had life in the genre, up until Skid Row's debut which would be the last great album of it's kind. "Body Talk" is a punchy anthem with more forward momentum than most music like this. "Looking For Love" kind of veers toward the mainstream appeal this music fully possessed at the time. "7th Avenue" also coasts into this middle of the road feel, but with more groove which is the albums primary saving grace when not finding their foot pressed to the gas. The guitars get more interesting on "It Doesn't Matter" . The attention to detail in the vocal phrasing being the other key point of the song. They shift formula with the arrangement on this one as well with a post-chorus refrain.
"Take a Chance' finds the charm of the band's attitude winning you over on "Take a Chance" . The more Rolling Stones like strum of guitar makes the last song stand out, and gives Pearcy's vocals room to breathe. Chorus is catchy and it's pretty much what you want from a Ratt song, without recycling the key elements in a a predictable way. I will round this one up to a 10, it's their best record.
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