Tag: Sammi Yaffa
1 Michael Monroe – Sensory Overdrive (2011)
Former Hanoi Rocks front man Michael Monroe is back with his sixth solo album, Sensory Overdrive.
On his latest CD, Michael has assembled an all-star band to help craft his new tunes. The lineup on this CD features Ginger from the Wildhearts on Guitar, Sammi Yaffa from Hanoi Rocks, Jetboy and the New York Dolls on bass, and Steve Conte from the New York Dolls on guitar. He also has a couple of cool guest stars with Lucinda Williams and Lemmy Kilmister adding some vocals too.
Sensory Overdrive is a little short in length. The eleven songs on Sensory Overdrive clock in just shy of 33 minutes. For most releases that would be a problem, but on this CD you get a bunch of short rockin’ tunes that never fail to entertain.
I don’t if Ginger’s song writing help inspire Michael Monroe on this album, but the songs on this CD are mostly upbeat, and overall, a lot of fun to listen to.
Chances are you have heard the first single “’78” by now. (If not check it out in the video below). This song is an extremely catchy number that is going please the legion of Michael Monroe & Hanoi Rocks fans out there.
I don’t know what it is about “Got Blood?” that makes me think it would be a good T.V. Show theme song. It is a good tune, but it has that kind of vibe.
“Superpowered Superfly” sounds pretty ridiculous lyrically, but this song is pretty infectious.
“Modern Day Miracle” with its chorus, “Shut up, Stop Talking, Shut up, Stop Talking, You’re Giving Me A Headache” is such a fun tune. I would love to sing this song to some people I know. :)
“Gone Baby Gone” with Lucinda Williams has a country rock feel to it, in the vein of the Eagles. This song works well, and is one of the many highlights on Sensory Overdrive
You would think Michael Monroe’s punk edge rock would be a very good fit for Lemmy Kilmister’s voice, but the marriage of Michael Monroe’s voice with Lemmy’s on “Debauchery As a Fine Art” just doesn’t work for me. It isn’t a bad tune, it is actually pretty fun, but it is nowhere near as good as the rest of the material on Sensory Overdrive.
I have been blasting Sensory Overdrive in my car for nearly a month before writing this review, and it was all I could do to get myself to pull it out of my player. I have been enjoying this disc immensely! This CD will be one of the mainstays of my play list all summer long.
Sensory Overdrive is easily one of the best releases of 2011, and should be sought out by everyone.
Highly Recommended!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Trick Of The Wrist
2. ‘78
3. Got Blood?
4. Superpowered Superfly
5. Modern Day Miracle
6. Bombs Away
7. All You Need
8. Later Won’t Wait
9. Gone Baby Gone
10. Center Of Your Heart
11. Debauchery As A Fine Art
Band Lineup:
Michael Monroe – Vocals
Ginger – Guitars
Steve Conte – Guitars
Sami Yaffa – Bass
Karl Rockfist – Drums
3 Jetboy – Damned Nation (Release Year – 1990)
Occasionally, I will listen to a CD and get completely frustrated. In the case of Jetboy’s “Damned Nation”, my frustration is with the record label (MCA) not Jetboy, or this CD.
“Damned Nation” is the CD that should have taken Jetboy’s career to the next level. While “Damned Nation” may not be as classic as say, Guns N’ Roses “Appetite for Destruction”, it is easily Jetboy’s best offering. If more fans would have heard this disc back when it was released in the day, Jetboy would have been more of a household name than a mere footnote in the world of hard rock.
I have been a fan of Jetboy since their debut CD from the 80’s, but “Damned Nation” is the disc I still play the most. With awesome cuts like Stomp It (Down To the Bricks), Moonlight and Heavy Chevy, this CD will likely appeal to fans of bands 
coming out of the Sunset Strip in the mid eighties such as L.A. Guns and Faster Pussycat. There is also a really cool guest appears by Michael Monroe (Hanoi Rocks) who plays saxophone on the tune “Rock N’ Roller”
Jetboy’s mixture of glam and punk was very well done, and they should have hit a homerun with “Damned Nation”. Jetboy never got the proper support from their label and instead of “Damned Nation” propelling the band to superstar status, the lack of label support for this disc eventually led to their demise. Thank the rock gods that the band has gotten back together again once more!
This CD has been out of print for years, but you find used copies of it at this link. Grab this CD while you can!
You can check out Jetboy on myspace here.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Stomp It (Down To The Bricks) 
2. Moonlight
3. Groove Tube
4. Heavy Chevy
5. Too Late
6. Evil
7. Trouble Comes
8. Bullfrog Pond
9. Ready To Rumble
10. Rock N’ Roller
11. Jam
12. Suicidal Shakedown
Jetboy is:
Mickey Finn – vocals
Fernie Rod – guitar
Billy Rowe – guitar
Ron Tostenson – drums
Sami Yaffa – bass
