Live & Loud 2009

by James Christopher MongerWhen Buckcherry hit the scene in the mid-'90s, few would have predicted that the raunchy, stripper pole/retro-hair metal outfit had a 15-year career ahead of it, let alone a Grammy nomination. Despite the nearly complete dissolution of the band in 2002, Buckcherry managed to embrace the subversive tenacity of chief inspiration Mötley Crüe by ignoring the naysayers and keeping the train running with a pair of well-received albums that successfully rebooted them back into the biz. Like their studio albums, Live & Loud 2009 doesn't bring anything new to the genre, but the band's juvenile, infectious choruses ("Crazy *****," "Lit Up"), boundless energy, and occasionally sloppy execution prove that while they may not have invented the "Sunset Strip bad boy" image, they certainly know how to revel in it.