CHICAGO TRIBUNE RED EYE
April 25, 2003
Cobra Verde
Easy Listening

Although it's not accurate to say that this venerable Cleveland rock quartet has grown soft over the course of its 10-year career, there's more than mere irony at work in the title of Cobra Verde's fourth foray into the glam-rock netherworld. Having jettisoned its often extraneous keyboard/theremin player, the band brings a leaner, tighter attack to the songs. And that approach pays off on the bluesy, gun-barrel-blunt hard rock of "Modified Frankenstein" and "Terrorist." However, Cobra Verde's move away from dark, searing riffs and brooding ballads that began with its last record continues on "Easy Listening." Although Cobra Verde has never sounded so multifaceted and melodic, some listeners may miss the menace that was once its signature.