Some things never change -- the sky is blue, two plus two equals four, the sun rises in the east, and will make albums where he sneers out spooky lyrics as long as he can draw breath. hadn't had anything resembling a hit since the mid-'90s, but the man clearly had no desire to retire, and though he was 69 years old when he released in 2017, he still sounded admirably spry and hadn't lost his voice or his charisma. was released not long after reunited with surviving members of the original band for some surprise shows, and the advance word on the album had it that was going to write and record with them. While bassist and drummer pop up on a few tracks of , the two songs they wrote with him, "Genuine American Girl" and "You and All of Your Friends," appear on as bonus tracks, and anyone hoping for a blast of sleazy glory in the manner of or will be a bit disappointed. (Then again, when brought a bunch of the original guys on board for 2011's , no one noticed, so maybe the fans have faulty expectations.) While it features , , and producer (who was at the controls for 's best '70s work), more closely resembles 's hair metal-flavored work of the '90s, though has given this material a more up-to-date sheen. Thankfully, is a livelier and more entertaining listen than , and while he aims for high spookiness on "Dead Flies," "The Sound of A," and the title track, he seems to be having more fun with wittier numbers like "Dynamite Road," "Private Public Breakdown," and "Fallen in Love" ("and I can't get up!"). The band delivers the goods with admirable precision and some honest enthusiasm, while the guests include from of , and (and who would've guessed that those guys would ever be on an album together, let alone with ?). isn't the return to form one might have hoped for, but it's no embarrassment either, and appears to be having a grand time while giving his fans a good show for their dollar. ~ Mark Deming