Buckcherry: Josh Todd (vocals); Keith Nelson (guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, baritone guitar, background vocals); Stevie D (guitar, background vocals); Jimmy Ashhurst (mandolin, bass guitar, finger cymbals, background vocals); Xavier Muriel (drums, percussion, background vocals).

Recording information: Drive-By Studios; Studio 606 (2008).

Forever a band without a niche, L.A.'s Buckcherry has never existed in the right place at the right time. When their acclaimed first album was released, Backstreet Boys and N'Sync were coming into their prime and rap rock was the dominant style. But for fans who craved greasy hedonism the likes of which vanished around the time Axl Rose went crazy, Buckcherry was a revelation. Despite label woes, personnel turnover, and singer Josh Todd's brief flirtation with becoming the new Axl, Buckcherry survived and is more successful than ever. BLACK BUTTERFLY doesn't mess with their formula. Todd's lyrics generally deal with intoxication and fornication, and the AC/DC-like crunch that accompanies most of them is perfect for gyrating, but songs like the radio-ready power ballad "Dreams" display a morning-after sobriety that keeps BLACK BUTTERFLY from being one-note.

Spin (p.102) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Dirty-minded, unrepentant, and awash in bad-boy charm, BLACK BUTTERFLY makes you forget hair metal's demise was more than 15 years ago."

Entertainment Weekly (p.72) - "The L.A. quintet, fresh off the radio ubiquity of 'Sorry' last year, prove themselves masters of the form yet again..."