John Corabi is not a name many may recognize at first, having worked with The Scream at the beginning of his career and The Dead Daisies as of late, but a certain cohort may remember him as the temporary leader of Motley Crue from 1992-1996 to replace Vince Neil. That outing and singular album was not well-received; Corabi is more of an earthy, bluesy guy, and his style didn’t really mesh with the sleazy idiocy that the Crue was all about.
But despite all his work with groups over the years, Corabi has never released any solo music, and so his initial solo effort in April 2026 was a bit of a surprise. Even more of a surprise is the sound, which is a cheerful classic rock revival that puts a new spin on Creedence, Springsteen, Aerosmith and Seger. As if to drive the point home, Corabi closes the record with a bluesy-rock take on “Everyday People,” that 1969 Sly & The Family Stone chestnut, but it somehow works.
There’s a definite dad-rock vibe to this, almost as if Corabi is deliberately forgoing his ’80s rock roots (he has also played with Ratt, Union and Bruce Kulick of Kiss) and reaching back to the decade prior for inspiration. He’s a rocker, but smart enough (at age 67) to have grown out of the nonsense that being a member of Motley Crue probably entailed, and is content to look back musically and lyrically to simpler times.
Tracks like “When I Was Young” (with its strong Mellencamp vibes), “1969” (CCR vibes), “Laurel” and “Faith, Hope And Love” show the upbeat, positive messages and time period on display here. I can’t think people under 50 will get much out of this, but those of the same age as Corabi who still listen to classic rock radio will get both the references and sentiments on display.
Few of the songs here are truly lasting once the good-time vibe ends, but “Your Own Worst Enemy” rises above with some keyboard flourishes and attitude; another review compared it to a great lost old Aerosmith song. I could see the album as something Corabi felt like he wanted to do after decades of playing in other people’s bands, but New Day rarely rises above a feel-good classic rock album you can play in your garage while at the workbench.