Review of Bat III

I’ve been waiting for Bat III to come out since I heard about it for the first time two years ago. Today, the suspense is over. I got up early, got ready for work, and went straight to Target (I couldn’t wait the extra hour for B&N to open) to buy the cd. I listened to it all the way to work and brought it inside with me lest I get a chance to listen between appointments.

Bat III was supposed to be the reteaming of Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman, but because these two musical geniuses can’t get along for extended periods of time, they got in a fight and Meat ended up using mostly old Steinman stuff in addition to songs by Desmond Child on the album. Steinman ultimately had nothing to do with the album even though it is dedicated to him.

Because of this, the magic isn’t there. It’s a good album but doesn’t hold a candle to Bat I and II.

For one thing, the wonderful song “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” is made into a beautiful duet. However, Meat opts for a “younger” voice and features some swede or welsh singer (Marion Raven). For those of you who know, Meat’s female leads always have a distinct, somewhat Bonnie Tylerish, sound; Marion does not. She sounds contemporary and breathy. This is disappointment number one.

Disappointment number two comes with Meat’s voice. To be honest, he’s losing it. In addition to that, the passion that he sang with on the Bat I and II albums just isn’t there.

It’s not all bad though. It’s better than the two album’s Meat put out between now and Bat II. Of course, the Steinman songs are the best, but another highlight to the album is Brian May (guitarist from Queen). In “Bad for Good,” May has a solo and he’s fab.

Meat can still sing and he’s still my favorite of all time, but without Steinman, some of the magic has disappeared. I can only hope that they’ll reteam for a real Bat III and make all my dreams come true.