I have been a fan of The Poodles since they started back in 2006. I have followed Jakob Samuel somewhat closely over the years. I knew he played drums in an early incarnation of the band Talisman which also consisted of Jeff Scott Soto on vocals and Marcel Jacob on bass (RIP), as well as being in the bands Jekyll & Hyde, The Ring, Treasure Island & Yale Bate.  The first Poodles album “Metal Will Stand Tall” was an absolute masterpiece, a desert island classic. No album that they have released since then has topped it. “Sweet Trade”, “Clash Of The Elements”, “Performocracy”, “Tour de Force” & “Devil In The Details” have all been solid albums and don’t disappoint, but they just don’t measure up to their debut.

Prisma which was released on January 24, 2018 finds the Poodles covering an eclectic array of artists from Blondie, Elton John, Adele to the Osmonds. I guess a covers album is the “in” thing to do these days with so many bands doing them (Def Leppard, Motorhead, Tesla, Poison, Metallica & Stone Sour just to name a few).  It just seems a lot more bands are doing them today as opposed to the past. As I will openly admit I am not familiar with a few of the songs on the album, I did quite enjoy it overall.

The opening track “Crazy Horses” by the Osmonds was done  well, but definitely not as good as the original. Then again, it doesn’t happen often when a cover is better than the original or even more popular. It does happen though, shall I say Whitney Houston.  Michael Sembello’s song “Maniac” from the Flashdance soundtrack was a valiant effort. It was just too dancy for my liking, and I do like the original. Some of the standout tracks were Swedish House Mafia’s “Don’t You Worry Child”, Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way”, Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and Blondie’s “Call Me”.

The Poodles Prisma is their weakest effort to date, but if you’re an avid collector like myself, it is a definite for the collection. If you are a casual fan, or don’t like it when bands do cover albums then you can leave this album in the bin.

-Evil E. \m/\m/