Def Leppard delivers catchy tunes on 'X' 
07/28/2002 

By TERESA GUBBINS / The Dallas Morning News 

This sounds like faint praise, but it's not: The great thing about older 
English rock stars like Def Leppard is that they don't muddy up the waters 
with higher aspirations. Def Leppard has had its creative ups and downs - the 
last couple of discs, Euphoria and Slang, haven't been the best - but they just 
keep on keeping on, happy to do what they do well. And no matter what it is you 
do, if you're halfway decent and you keep at it, you're going to do a good job.

Def Leppard has done a good job on X, its tenth record. Although the band's 
roots and sound lie in metal, the disc is true pop in that, while it plays, 
it sounds really catchy - but once it stops spinning, any lingering traces of 
what you've heard evaporate. The first spin is the best; every song sounds 
inspired. By spin No. 2, reality sets in and filler cuts such as "Unbelievable" 
and "Long Long Way to Go" become more apparent.

That said, there isn't a dog on the disc. Even the filler cuts have a shiny 
appeal. "Long Long Way to Go," for example, has a nifty little guitar riff 
reminiscent of a past hit, "Hysteria." On this song, the guitar gets repeated 
just often enough to make you crave it more. In general, there is more guitar 
on this disc, much of it quite beautiful, than on other recent Def Leppard 
releases.

The quintet has never been shy about seeking input from others, nor has it 
ignored contemporary trends. Thus, the collaborators this time around include, 
among others, none other than Andreas Carlsson and Per Aldeheim, a.k.a. the 
Swedes who wrote all those teen pop songs, as well as Marti Frederiksen, who 
previously collaborated with Aerosmith.

A number of songs evoke "Photograph," the band's biggest hit: for example, 
the vocal chorus and compositional construction on "Everyday." You'll hear 
other bands, as well, such as Bon Jovi and Eddie Money on "Torn to Shreds," 
David Bowie and T Rex on "Cry," INXS on "Gravity," Enuff Z'Nuff on "Girl Like 
You," Boston on "Scar" and the Beatles on "Unbelievable."

But all these elements still boil down to classic Def Leppard, which stands 
for sugar-sweet pop-metal with occasional displays of flashy liquid guitar 
and high-pitched vocals that create good, thick harmonies.

The centerpiece of the disc and the strongest song is the super-hooky "Love 
Don't Lie." The song has some cool T Rex guitar (T Rex was one of singer-
founder Joe Elliott's earliest and most profound influences), but the 
irresistible part is the chorus. Its shimmering multipart harmonies and the 
powerful repetition of the title words make it stick like gum to the sides 
of the brain.

E-mail tgubbins@dallasnews.com