Steve Grimm’s place in Milwaukee’s hard rock pantheon stands assured thanks to his work fronting Bad Boy on their two major label albums from the 1970s and their indie tenure since then. Among the other projects keeping him busy is his second solo album, Bad Boys, Bad Girls.
The title trades on the name of the band that brought him notoriety and Grimm is neither musically nor thematically far removed from the days before punk, much less grunge. Ladies, he’s a rocker, and if you get your feelings hurt along the way with him, you knew what you’re getting into. Through Bad’s eight songs, he preserves his vintage sound with sincerity and lack of irony. Touches of Peter Frampton-inspired vocoder and Rod Stewart’s mid-’80s fascination with beat box percussion round out this latest volley from a local proto-metal forefather.
