Metal Underground.com

On "A Family Affair," Italian act Bad Bones plays a greasy boogie that has hints of Thin Lizzy, Motorhead and Kiss. While it's easy to praise the band for its inspirations, the execution sometimes leaves a little bit to be desired, owing to some basic riffs and uninspired songwriting.

Singer/guitarist Meku "Bone" Borra's vocals are a strange mix of Lemmy Kilmister and Gene Simmons that doesn't always work. On stuff like "Road to R'n'R" (the "R'n'R is rock 'n roll, if you couldn't guess), they lend the track a pleasant Motorhead feel. But on the largely acoustic closer "Don't let the spirits get in," the vocals sound horribly out of place among the more gentle guitars.

Bassist Steve "Bone," Balocco, of White Skull, and drummer Lele "Bone" Balocco do a good job of adding swing and strut to the proceedings. Lele's drum intro to "A Family Affair" particularly stands out.

There are several songs that stand out, including the aforementioned "Road to R'n'R," the southern-fried "Ghost town blues" and "A family affair," with its sing-along chorus. Unfortunately, there are way too many tracks like "Modern Times," "My Head Is Upside Down" and "Street Dogs," which, though not unpleasant, come off as quite a bit generic, despite some good solos by Borra.

The production is pretty good, though the vocals by Borra and Steve Balocco sometimes overwhelm the instruments. A little more bass would've been nice in places as well.

"A Family Affair" has some fun moments, but mostly comes off as harmless, generic hard rock. Here's hoping Bad Bones is a little more fleshed out on their next disc.