Korn: MTV Unplugged (Live)

iTunes Review

While it's certainly not as strange of a concept as, say, The Sex Pistols: Reunited and Unplugged!, an acoustic Korn collection still seems like a flaccid proposition. Especially when the band opens with a bongo-backed, flamenco-flavored version of "Blind," a.k.a. Korn's "are youuuuu readddy?!" song, the unofficial start to a million mosh pits during nü-metal's late '90s heyday. Oh, and what's with the Robert Smith collaboration, melting like frozen acid rain from "Make Me Bad" to the Cure's own "In Between Days?" We realize they were a teenage wasteland favorite of Jonathan Davis, but fanboy sounds like he's about to eat Ol' Man Smith. Eh, nevermind. What these concepts lack in common sense they make up for in fresh, E-for-effort spins on Korn's decade-plus catalogue. That includes the Danny Elfman-like intro to "Falling From Me," the straight outta' Tokyo percussion patterns of "Throw Me Away," and the sideswiping string section of a surprisingly groove-laden "Coming Undone." Bonus must-buy points go to a cover of the Radiohead classic "Creep," which finally reveals what Davis sounds like when he drops the howl and scowl routine for some actual bittersweet singing.