Alice Cooper: Paranormal review – bringing urgency to weird rock'n'roll

Alice Cooper made headlines recently when he unearthed a priceless Andy Warhol print in a storage unit, forgotten since the heady days of socialising with the pop-art icon. Whether or not it was a PR stunt for his 27th studio release, it reminded the world that the gravel-tongued shock-rocker can be relied on to bring some rock’n’roll weirdness to proceedings. That’s what the bonus disc of Paranormal shows, too, featuring exuberant live recordings of his greatest hits including School’s Out and No More Mr Nice Guy. Meanwhile, the album itself – which features the likes of ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons and U2’s Larry Mullen alongside some original bandmates – is proof that he’s still giving it his best shot. The title track boasts flashy prog metal flourishes and menacing lyrics about “cool skin and bones”; there’s a sense of sheer urgency in Cooper’s voice as he describes an apocalyptic city scene on Fireball; Genuine American Girl dabbles in smart gender politics and Fallen in Love is a tight throwback to classic blues laments. However, more shiny than screwball, it doesn’t offer the same treasure you might well find lurking in Cooper’s attic.