HYDROGYN

Gee, can you tell by the album cover that HYDROGYN saw fit to sell a little sex with their pop-inflected hard rock? With vocalist "Julie" striking a suggestive pose and the album titled "Bombshell", music is probably not the first thought that pops into the mind of the uninitiated. Well, "Bombshell" is not a collection of JPEGs and video clips, but instead a pop-inflected hard rock album that succeeds at what it sets out to do, at least half the time.

A beefy production from Michael Wagener certainly helps, and many of the tunes balance solid hard rock with catchy melodies. As it turns out, Julie can carry a tune too. It's all pretty formulaic fare, but for those with a preference for the tried and true, "Bombshell" will probably float your boat. Tunes like "Vesper's Song" and "Confession" rock pretty hard, while Julie makes the hooks stand out just a little bit more than your average radio-friendly cut. Ms. Narcissistic even possesses a little PAT BENATAR power at times. "I've Been Waiting for You", "Mutilated Mind", "Breaking Me Down", and the pop-heavy "Love Spoke" are little more than ear candy for the attention-deficit crowd, but aren't too shabby.

Several other tracks, including the mellow ones ("Whisper" and the acoustic "Come Back to Me") are middling at best and forgettable at worst. In fact, 50 minutes is just too long for this kind of album. By the time the disc reaches "Circle" or "Book of Names", the first-half freshness becomes stale. The cover of SKID ROW's "18 and Life" works only because it sticks closely to the original, itself a strong song; and for whatever reason it makes one think of a track that might be playing in your local gentlemen's club. I certainly won't be retrieving "Bombshell" for repeat spins, but there is unquestionably an audience out there for this kind of thing.