XXX (ZZ Top Album) - Reception

Reception

Allmusic only gave the album 1 and a half stars, by stating: "After all, countless blues-based musicians, from Lightnin' Hopkins and Muddy Waters to B.B. King and The Rolling Stones, have aged gracefully, albeit in varying degrees. So why does ZZ Top sound so stiff and useless on XXX, a record celebrating their 30th anniversary? Part of that could be that the songwriting is decidedly weak, but a band as seasoned as ZZ Top should be able to make third-rate material at least listenable."

However, Allmusic does not indicate how most ZZ Top fans feel about XXX, nor is the opinion of most rock critics. The album is much heavier than some previous ZZ albums and offers the kind of raw down and dirty music any true rock or blues fan can appreciate. Rough Edge reviewed it thusly:

"The five words on the side of this CD tell you all you really need to know about ZZ Top's "XXX" CD. They read, "Drum, bass and fuzzy guitar." That's it! What more do you need to know about a ZZ Top album? If you love their unique sound, you probably love all of their albums (some less than others, agreed). "XXX" is no exception. It's a ZZ Top album through and through. And, if you're a fan of this band, you can't help but love it.

The CD begins with "Poke Chop Sandwich," a groovy little boogie number with all the trademark ZZ Top sounds: the aforementioned drum, bass and fuzzy guitar plus laid-back vocals and spacey lead riffs. It's cool stuff. Next up is a quasi-industrial number entitled "Crucifixx-A-Flatt." Although the two aren't really similar, it brings to mind the band's hit, "TV Dinners." It should be also noted that its chorus gets about as close as we're likely to see ZZ Top attempt rap. Next up is "Fearless Boogie," a flat-out blues song that makes no bones about being bluesy. "36-22-36" begins with a blues harmonica and is immediately followed by that trademark ZZ Top guitar fuzz-n-blip. It wouldn't be a ZZ Top CD without an ode to women on it and this song accepts that responsibility. "Made Into a Movie" is another blues number, a slow-paced number with Godzilla-stomp guitars that needs to be played at the highest volume your speakers can handle. Next up is "Beatbox," a fast-paced little ditty that starts out like a Blind Melon Chitlin number and then morphs into a ZZ Top chorus. "Trippin" sounds like it was an outtake from the "Eliminator" album that was excised because its guitar was a little too daring to fit the highly commercial (and freaking brilliant) "Eliminator." Dreadmonboogaloo" is the last studio song on the CD and it's a staccato guitar number with lots of spacey ZZ Top effects and vocals. This number should turn into a big dance hit or wind up on a lot of television commercials. It's a hip, almost-instrumental track that's really cool.

The final four tracks on "XXX" are live recordings "collected from around the world." These four songs are incredible live performances from the band whose live shows simply must be seen and heard to be appreciated. The first song is "Sinpusher," a medium-paced number that is reminiscent of many ZZ Top songs. The band's cover of "(Let Me Be) Your Teddy Bear" is blues heavy and stone cold cool. "Hey, Mr. Millionaire" features a guest performance by Jeff Beck on vocals and "Belt Buckle" sews up the entire CD with a plain ol' blues jam.

What makes "XXX" so great is the fact that it represents the best of both worlds of ZZ Top. The bluesy sounds that highlight their early years are here in greater success and quantity than previous releases while the band really seems to have fun with the special effects and tricks that made their later recordings so popular.

That and the fact that it's ZZ Top - what else do you really need?"