Welcome to Blue Island

With quite a few of the '80s-era glam-metal acts trying to come back with completely different approaches and styles come the 21st century, Chicago power pop vets Enuff Z'nuff continue to specialize in what they do best. And as evidenced by such latter-day releases as 2002's Welcome to Blue Island, they can still whip up a Beatlesque melody with no problem. The group continues to be led by the underrated songwriting duo of Donnie Vie and Chip Znuff, whose pop sensibilities are still keen on such standout tracks as "Good Times (Are Hard to Find)" and the upbeat ditty "Zentemental Journey" (which is preceded by a sitar-heavy Middle Eastern piece, "Z Overture," which is equal parts "Kashmir" and "Within You Without You"). For the hardcore fan, try to find the import version of Welcome to Blue Island, which includes four bonus tracks -- one being a surprise cover of Nirvana's "All Apologies" (after all, this was the same band that was almost single-handedly responsible for preventing the glam-metal scene from infesting any further). ~ Greg Prato