Categories: AlbumsReviews

Bret Michaels

Custom Built Poor Boy [Two stars]

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Every rose has its thorn, and every airport bar has its 22-year-old divorcee. But not every album has two songs from different reality shows starring Bret Michaels, or the theme from the prison movie he wrote, directed and starred in. Only Bret Michaels albums have those things. Michaels is an earnest doer, the kind of guy who’s working on his bucket list long before the paramedics get him on the gurney. Sure, each time his third solo album recapitulates (or re-records) ”˜Every Rose Has Its Thorn,’ it’s like the sad cowboy is getting trampled by his horse. But Miley Cyrus brightens up the cellphone-waver ”˜Nothing to Lose,’ and Michaels’ cover of Sublime’s ”˜What I Got’ rings with survivor’s pride.

Key Tracks: ”˜Every Rose Has Its Thorn,’ ”˜What I Got’

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