On the face of it Saints Of Los Angeles is the first Motley Crue album to feature all four original members since 1997's  Generation Swine release, but first impressions can be wrong. Take a closer look however and you will see that the writing credits behind the album  are mainly attributed to Sixx/Ashba/Michaels /Frederiksen, that's the team behind last year's outstanding Sixx AM album The Heroin Diaries with the addition of long time Aerosmith collaborator Marti Frederiksen. And therein lies the rub, Saints of Los Angeles has more in common with the Sixx AM effort than with any previous Motley album.

It's no surprise that  the title track was chosen as the lead off song delivered to radio and TV as it has more in common with historic Crue than anything else on the album, big riffs, gang vocals and an arrangement and sound straight off Dr. Feelgood but don't expect anything else in a similar vein. That's not to say Saints Of Los Angeles isn't good, it is, it's just not the Crue of 1985 or 1990. What it is is Nikki Sixx taking sole control of the band and delivering his unique perspective under the Crue banner, with the other three simply being along for the ride and the rather large paycheck no doubt. What's it Gonna Take has a trippy feel, almost Beatle-esque and Down At The Whiskey is equally as mellow without being a ballad and yes, as with The Heroin Diaries, there is very much an autobiographical feel to the lyrics. Not surprising really considering this was touted as being the soundtrack to the yet to be made film of The Dirt.

When the band do go up-tempo it's more punk than glam, Mutherfucker Of The Year, White Trash Circus and Chicks = Trouble being prime examples and there's not a true ballad in site - and that's no  bad thing considering Crue's attempts at balladry in the past have been cringe worthy at best. All in all Saint Of Los Angeles is perhaps the most mature and cohesive Crue album of their long career. The big question is whether mature and cohesive is what we really want from the "bad boys of rock n' roll?"