On the two-CD set
Forgive Thee,
Cheater Slicks sound more like
the New York Dolls -- or solo
Johnny Thunders -- than ever before (or since). Granted, they sound like a different band on every release, but there's always been a
New York Dolls dimension to their sound. They even cover "Lonely Planet Boy," so it's not as if they're exactly shying away from the comparison -- or the one to
the Rolling Stones, whose "Child of the Moon" also gets the run-through (and comes across better, if not as good as
Band of Susans' version). Meanwhile, "Everyone Knows One" might not be a cover, but the extended rave-up at the end sounds a lot like
the Velvet Underground's "European Son." Otherwise, there's a fair amount of filler here. The bottom line? This is one rough-and-rambling release -- kind of like a long-distance phone call from a drunken friend at two in the morning. Fun for the dedicated fan, but overkill for pretty much anyone else. ~ Kathleen C. Fennessy