Tommyland: The Ride

by James Christopher MongerReleased in conjunction with his book of the same name, as well as his new reality television series Tommy Lee Goes to College, Tommyland: The Ride is the Mötley Crüe drummer's second foray -- not including Methods of Mayhem -- into faux-solo land. Lee lends his name, drums, and some vocals to 12 rockers, power ballads, summer anthems, and emo-drenched exercises in futility that employ the voices and guitar playing of pretty much anybody available. There's nothing genuine here, but nobody who has followed the highly public exploits of the eternal "bad boy" with any kind of devotion will be looking for a crack in the sky with Lee's tattooed hand reaching down with a scroll full of wisdom, so why overanalyze? Dave Navarro and Butch Walker provide the meat on "Good Times," an amiable slice of California pop that doubles as his TV show's theme song, the tough and catchy "Sister Mary" features Carl Bell of Fuel, and "Tired," a pop-punk bull's-eye sung by Good Charlotte's Joel Madden, celebrates the many attributes of Lee's ex-wife Pamela Anderson. Even Backstreet Boy Nick Carter rises to the occasion with "Say Goodbye," a perfectly rendered acoustic number that's a veritable template for the art of the tender-verse/loud-chorus heartbreaker. There are some things in the world that provide balance, and a record like Tommyland is the fulcrum on which all things that actually matter rest.