The Best Of Warrant

Warrant is a schizophrenic band, a condition illustrated by this 16-song "hits" collection. The Los Angeles-based lineup's 1989 debut, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, featured such metal-lite delights as "32 Pennies," the title track, the insipid, self-referential trademark hit "Down Boys," the sappy power ballad "Heaven," the lascivious "Cherry Pie," and "Sometimes She Cries," all of which appear on this best-of. But by 1992's Dog Eat Dog, Warrant had gone heavier and grungier, befitting the musical climate of the era. Consequently, the quintet lost fans who perceived the group as bandwagon jumpers; actually, they do a decent job with heavier songs such as "Machine Gun" and "Hole in My Wall." Proving that singer Jani Lane and pals could be tender and memorable without being cheesy are the gutsy, bluesy "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and the beautiful "I Saw Red." Their cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You," on the other hand, almost manages to sap the song's inherent monster groove. While Warrant's move from image-conscious pop-metal to a heavier sound was awkward in execution, fans of either of the band's phases--and those who like both--will dig this diverse disc. --Katherine Turman