This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Old dudes rock. Or at least Rick Springfield does. No, seriously. Stop rolling your eyes.
I know this is hard to believe, but Aussie pop icon Springfield’s umpteenth disc Shock / Denial / Anger / Acceptance is a surprisingly muscular and edgy chunk of modern rock. Built from arena-sized power-chord riffs, rock-solid beats and of-the-moment electronic textures that go nicely with Springfield’s melodic rasp, tracks like Perfect, I’ll Make You Happy, Idontwantanythingfromyou and Jesus Saves fuse turbocharged power-pop and swaggering electro-metal. Sorta like what Bon Jovi or Bryan Adams might sound like if they didn’t suck. Granted, the disc is kinda front-loaded, and things settle down into acoustic balladland after a while. Still, the first half of Shock / Denial / Anger / Acceptance is shockingly good for a guy on the wrong side of 55 — and who used to be a soap star.
