Tweaked

by Ed RivadaviaReleased in 1995, Tweaked marked a new beginning for Enuff Z'Nuff, as the Chicago natives attempted to put their drug problems, financial straits, and especially their major label woes behind them. The release of the previous year's 1985 album (so named because it comprised nothing more than the band's first demo recordings) had killed two birds with one stone, earning the boys some well-needed pocket change, and effectively doing away with all of singer Donnie Vie and bassist Chip Z'Nuff's creative output thus far. For the most part, Tweaked finds Enuff Z'Nuff in a more psychedelic, laid-back groove than on previous records, starting with very first track "Stoned" and all the way through cheeky closer "How Am I Supposed to Write a Love Song?" In between, they strut their way through the swaggering "If I Can't Have You," glide across the easy blues of "Without Your Love," and evoke melodies past in somewhat derivative numbers like "We're All Alright" and "Life Is Strange." Even at its most extreme, however, Tweaked never really starts to cook. The acoustic "My Heroin" steals blatantly from the Beatles (surprise!), while the cryptic "Mr. Jones" see the group exploring its darker side, but without ever raising its voice. Still, the band can produce a gorgeous ballad when pressed, and the excellent "It's Too Late" certainly bears that distinction. In short, Tweaked clearly represented an attempt to regroup, and Enuff Z'Nuff would carry on with building confidence from here on out.