Road (Alice Cooper album)

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Road
Studio album by
Alice Cooper
ReleasedAugust 25, 2023 (2023-08-25)
Length47:43
LabelearMusic
ProducerBob Ezrin
Alice Cooper chronology
Detroit Stories
(2021) 		Road
(2023)
Singles from Road
  1. "I'm Alice"
    Released: June 14, 2023
  2. "White Line Frankenstein"
    Released: July 19, 2023
  3. "Welcome to the Show"
    Released: August 8, 2023
  4. "Dead Don't Dance"
    Released: October 30, 2023

Road is the twenty-second solo and overall twenty-ninth studio album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released through Earmusic on August 25, 2023. It was recorded live in the studio by Cooper and his touring band—guitarists Nita Strauss, Ryan Roxie and Tommy Henriksen, bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Glen Sobel. The album was announced on June 14, 2023, alongside the release of the lead single "I'm Alice" which was followed by the album's second single, "White Line Frankenstein" (featuring Tom Morello), on July 19, 2023, and the album's third single, "Welcome to the Show" on August 8, 2023.[1] Cooper will promote the album with a tour of US stadium shows supporting Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard in August, followed by a co-headlining tour with Rob Zombie into September.[2]

Background and recording[edit]

For the album, Cooper wanted to showcase his live band and for them to be "involved in the foundation of all the songs". He insisted on no overdubs as the "whole idea of this album is showing off how good this band is live".[2] Prior to announcing Road, Cooper spoke of it being a "concept album" about "things that happen on the road. There's a lot of humor in it. There's a couple of heartbreakers, but it's very guitar-driven because that's what I look for in an album."[3]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
American Songwriter[6]
Classic Rock[7]
Mojo[8]
Uncut7/10[9]

Road received a score of 76 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on seven critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[4] Uncut remarked that it is "all great fun and played by a road-hardened band full of vigour",[9] while Mojo described it as "a hugely enjoyable hoot".[8] Classic Rock called it a "cohesively themed album lathered in muti-tiered guitars, anthemic chouses and high-density power riffage, tempered by road-honed dynamism and built for the stage".[7] Hal Horowitz of American Songwriter felt that "while Road is no five-star masterpiece like the recently reissued and expanded Killer or School's Out collections", it is "perhaps unexpectedly, worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as his best".[6] AllMusic's Fred Thomas summarized it as "primarily killer and only a little bit of filler, with Alice tapping into the power he harnessed in his younger days to create a surprisingly inspired collection of new material".[5]

Track listing[edit]

Road track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I'm Alice"
3:55
2."Welcome to the Show"
3:36
3."All Over the World"
  • Cooper
  • Ezrin
  • Garric
  • Sobel
  • Strauss
  • Roxie
  • Henriksen
3:52
4."Dead Don't Dance" (featuring Kane Roberts)
3:30
5."Go Away"
4:20
6."White Line Frankenstein" (featuring Tom Morello)
  • Cooper
  • Ezrin
  • Morello
3:40
7."Big Boots"
  • Cooper
  • Ezrin
  • Garric
  • Sobel
  • Strauss
  • Roxie
  • Henriksen
3:14
8."Rules of the Road"
3:48
9."The Big Goodbye"
  • Cooper
  • Ezrin
  • Garric
  • Sobel
  • Strauss
  • Roxie
  • Henriksen
3:32
10."Road Rats Forever"
4:04
11."Baby Please Don't Go"
  • Cooper
  • Ezrin
  • Nelson
3:29
12."100 More Miles"
3:04
13."Magic Bus"Pete Townshend3:39
Total length:47:43

Personnel[edit]

  • Alice Cooper – vocals (all tracks), backing vocals (tracks 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13)
  • Ryan Roxie – electric guitar (all tracks), acoustic guitar (tracks 11, 13), backing vocals (track 13)
  • Nita Strauss – electric guitar (all tracks), acoustic guitar (track 11), backing vocals (track 13)
  • Tommy Henriksen – electric guitar (all tracks), acoustic guitar (tracks 11, 13), keyboards (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12), piano (track 7), additional bass (tracks 7, 11), percussion (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13), backing vocals (tracks 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13), "Party Animal" (track 8)
  • Chuck Garric – bass (all tracks except track 11), backing vocals (track 13)
  • Glen Sobel – drums (all tracks)
  • Bob Ezrin – backing vocals (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11), acoustic guitar (track 11), horn synth (track 12)
  • Kane Roberts – guitar (track 4)
  • Tom Morello – guitar (track 6), backing vocals (track 6)
  • Burleigh Johnson – piano (track 10)
  • Keith Miller – acoustic guitar (track 11)
  • Roger Glover – bass (track 11)
  • Sheryl Cooper – backing vocals (track 8)

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Road
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] 19
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[11] 3
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[12] 78
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[13] 49
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 17
French Albums (SNEP)[15] 16
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] 2
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[17] 34
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[18] 39
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[19] 51
Scottish Albums (OCC)[20] 2
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[21] 43
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 24
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 6
UK Albums (OCC)[24] 8
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[25] 2
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[26] 1
US Billboard 200[27] 160
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[28] 25
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[29] 7
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[30] 25

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Alice Cooper Announces Road Album Details, Shares 'I'm Alice' Single". Blabbermouth.net. June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Rolli, Bryan (June 14, 2023). "Alice Cooper Previews New Album Road With 'I'm Alice'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Brannigan, Paul (April 28, 2023). "Alice Cooper is writing a concept album called Road, about life on the road". Classic Rock. Retrieved June 15, 2023 – via Loudersound.
  4. ^ a b "Road by Alice Cooper Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Thomas, Fred. "Alice Cooper – Road Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Horowitz, Hal (August 23, 2023). "Review: Septuagenarian Alice Cooper Remains Driven on Road". American Songwriter. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Alice Cooper – Road". Classic Rock. September 2023. p. 76.
  8. ^ a b "Alice Cooper – Road". Mojo. October 2023. p. 82.
  9. ^ a b "Alice Cooper – Road". Uncut. October 2023. p. 26.
  10. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  11. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Alice Cooper – Road" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  12. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 35.Týden 2023 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  13. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Alice Cooper – Road" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  14. ^ "Alice Cooper: Road" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  15. ^ "Top Albums (Week 35, 2023)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  16. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Alice Cooper – Road" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  17. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 35. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  18. ^ "Album 2023 uke 35". VG-lista. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  19. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy" (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Note: Change the date to 25.08.2023–31.08.2023 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  20. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  21. ^ "Top 100 Albums Weekly". El portal de Música. Promusicae. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  22. ^ "Veckolista Album, vecka 35". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  23. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Alice Cooper – Road". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  24. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  25. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  26. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  27. ^ "Alice Cooper Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  28. ^ "Alice Cooper Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  29. ^ "Alice Cooper Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  30. ^ "Alice Cooper Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
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