Contagious

Contagious is a record on which Y&T, while keeping its straightforward hard-rock feel, polished its choruses and production to be more radio-ready. Dave Meniketti’s singing and guitar are as firmly cored as ever, keeping the necessary roughness and heat within a refined production. Answering the commercial melodic-rock current of the late 1980s while not losing the band’s identity, it is a record of its own. Led by the title track “Contagious,” tracks like “L.A. Rocks,” “The Kid Goes Crazy” and “Eyes of a Stranger” deftly move between catchy hooks and hard playing. Songs like “Temptation” and “Armed and Dangerous” breathe a Y&T-style drive too. Actively taking in the refinement of the era while not losing the raw feel of a live band, it reflects the late-1980s face of Y&T — a record with much to enjoy.