Mitch Malloy: II

Great hair, great teeth, even better songs.

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

Following the example of Chickenfoot, who ridiculously named their second album III, Mitch Malloy believes his fifth studio solo album is the spiritual heir to a self-titled major-label debut from 1982, hence its title.

With the help of a flotilla of guest stars including Leppard’s Phil Collen and Danger Danger’s Bruno Ravel, the North Dakota-born pretty boy singer/guitarist has returned to his roots emphatically following a dalliance with country rock.

Despite a tendency to sound a bit too shrill on stage, the strength and pleasantness of Malloy’s voice are so emphatic that it’s no wonder Van Halen once considered him as a replacement for Sammy Hagar.

With scarcely a substandard track here – Falling To Pieces, On And On and the power ballad Take It All are strongly recommended – II is a prime slice of radio-rock.

Dave Ling

Dave Ling was a co-founder of Classic Rock magazine. His words have appeared in a variety of music publications, including RAW, Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Prog, Rock Candy, Fireworks and Sounds. Dave’s life was shaped in 1974 through the purchase of a copy of Sweet’s album ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’, along with early gig experiences from Status Quo, Rush, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Yes and Queen. As a lifelong season ticket holder of Crystal Palace FC, he is completely incapable of uttering the word ‘Br***ton’.