Stephen
Tuff is an American pop/sleaze metal band that was heavily inspired by Poison, not only by their music, but also with their style and appearance. When Stevie Rachelle came fronting the band, they even look much more similar, with Rachelle often stated as Bret Michaels copycat. "What Comes Around Goes Around" was released in 1991, a bad timing for glam band to start the career when suddenly when grunge plaguing the chart and medias, Tuff was completely forgotten.
If you happen to like a fun and naughty glam style, Tuff's debut could be a great pick. Out of 10 tracks, I found many fave tracks here, from the uptempo opener of "Ruck A Pitt Bridge" with a smart funky groove fader at 3:00; the commercial Poison-rip of "The All New Generation"; a relaxing acoustical-driven rock of "So Many Seasons"; the huge power ballad, "Wake Me Up", which was co-written with Bret Michaels and better in any aspect than their biggest single, "I Hate Kissing You Goodbye"; and the exhilarating Motley-fueled track, "Good Guys Wear Black". Only "Ain't Worth A Dime" and "Spit Like This" which I considered filler and passable.
Jorge DeSaint's guitar style was inspired by CC DeVille and that's definitely not a big surprise while Rachelle's voice surprisingly isn't very close to Bret, instead he sounded like a cross of Alice Cooper and Bonfire's Claus Lessmann. The production is acceptable but 38 minutes felt quite a short ride. If only they could shot up another couple of smokin' hard rock tracks, this album would be a blast, but judging from this quality, 4 stars isn't too much to give. Recommended for fans of Poison, Pretty Boy Floyd, and the later-day pop/sleaze metal.