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"Yacht Metal" (Cleopatra Records; 2025)

Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton

I don't know if yacht rock was reignited in tiki bars, but that's the first place I noticed it. Sunday brunches, with more Mai Tais than you need, and some smooth sounds from the likes of Christopher Cross, The Doobie Brothers, Captain & Tennille and the like. It was fun (especially the Mai Tais) but it wasn't our kind of music, was it? It was yacht rock, not hard rock.

Well, this CD beautifully combines the two. You've got thirteen hugely popular tracks here, originally performed (or made popular) by artists like Rupert Holmes, Exile, the aforementioned Christopher Cross and Doobie Brothers but here they're re-imagined as hard rock songs (not really metal) by artists like performed by artists like Kim McAuliffe, Cherie Curie, Ronnie Romero, Joe Lynn Turner, Graham Bonnet, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, The Bullet Boys, Babylon A.D. and more.

As you might expect, there are some tracks here that work better than others. A couple tracks are just plain lackluster but most are entertaining enough, especially Femme Fatale & George Lynch's cover of The Captain & Tennille's "Love Will Keep Us Together" and Chris Poland and Tantric's version of Starbucks "Moonlight Feels Right." Ross the Boss and Doogie White also rock "Fooled Around and Fell in Love."

Honestly, there's not a bad track here, although (again) some are better than others.

So, if you're into cover tunes, yacht rock, or tiki bars, "Yacht Metal" might be right up your alley. At the very least, it's a lot of fun.

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Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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