Drop Dead, Gorgeous

Plenty of haters ripped into 2007's Worse Than a Fairy Tale, accusing Drop Dead, Gorgeous of softening its assault to up the accessibility quotient – and the act's latest will likely be slapped with the same criticism, even though The Hot N' Heavy is frequently both. Sure, there are missteps,...

By Michael Roberts

July 9, 2009

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Plenty of haters ripped into 2007's Worse Than a Fairy Tale, accusing Drop Dead, Gorgeous of softening its assault to up the accessibility quotient – and the act's latest will likely be slapped with the same criticism, even though The Hot N' Heavy is frequently both. Sure, there are missteps, including the compromised single "Two Birds, One Stone" and the concluding "We're Planning, God's Laughing," which falls considerably shy of its epic ambitions. But cuts such as "Killing a Classic" and "(The) Internet Killed the Video Star" effectively balance more melodic passages with Danny Stills-led shriekfests and regular guitar-buzz-bomb attacks. If the album isn't nearly as lethal as 2006's Be Mine, Valentine, an EP that squeezed six assaultive tracks into twelve minutes, it's still capable of doing some damage.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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