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):
I couldn’t say for sure whether Gene Simmons truly lives up to the title of his new CD. But I can tell you this: He’s no dummy.
For 30-plus years, the fire-breathing bassist has been the biggest, brashest loudmouth in KISS; a shrewd huckster and master manipulator who seldom misses a chance to bag a buck. But like a lot of wealthy folk, Simmons sometimes seems to confuse the size of his wallet with the breadth of his talent, ability and intellect. Thus we end up with high-aiming misfires like Music From The Elder, the first KISS solo albums (minus Ace‘s ace in the hole, of course) and ***Hole, Gene’s first non-band recordings in more than 25 years.
Unfocused and misguided, this 13-song vanity project finds the God of Plunder vainly trying yet again to escape his arena-rock straitjacket by pinballing between styles with a determination bordering on desperation. One minute he’s belting out sophomoric metal and Sabbathy thrash; the next, he’s sincerely crooning shimmery Beatle-pop and syrupy love ballads. And that’s just a start — Gene takes a stab at everything from thrash to electronica and hip-pop during these 45 minutes.
Despite (or perhaps because of) the amount of stuff tossed at the wall, little sticks. His revamp of Prodigy’s Firestarter is kinda neat, but far too slight; the breezy folk-hop of Whatever Turns You On falls flat; and the superstar collaborations (a wishy-washy soul-pop ditty co-penned by some hack named Bob Dylan and a boogie-rocker using Frank Zappa samples) seem more geared to establishing Simmons’ musical credibility than exploring his creativity.
Anyone old enough to recall the ’70s might find it all familiar — from the calculated eclecticism to the VIP guest list, it’s the same approach Simmons took on his solo album in ’78. Back then it worked mainly because most of his bandmates’ offerings were even worse. If Gene wants history to repeat, he better pray they return to the studio pronto.
