ZZ Top [ tickets ]'s allure has always been a result of what the band doesn't reveal--like the long beards and shades that permanently hide their faces. Similarly, the best songs ZZ Top ever produced--"La Grange," "Tush" and "Gimme All Your Lovin'" among them--have hard riffs shot through with plenty of tension and mystery.

Despite its 16 tracks of music, "Mescalero," the Texas trio's 15th studio release, hides nothing and holds little promise.

Over the course of their career, ZZ Top has harbored a dubious affinity for songs about women, sex and cars. Clearly, they are now older but not much wiser. Most of "Mescalero," including tracks "Alley-Gator" and "Buck Nekkid," is just plain immature--even by ZZ Top's standards.

While the chunky riffs are accounted for, these songs lack the infectious hooks that marked the band's more memorable hits--"What is it Kid" being the lone exception. At least there's the sad ballad, "Goin' So Good," which features slick blues riffs and Billy Gibbons' mournful vocals. Everything works.

No question, guitars still reign as ZZ Top's not-so-secret weapon. On "Punk Ass Boyfriend," Gibbons lays down an aggressive biting solo and some flaming licks to close out the song. Unfortunately, the tune itself isn't nearly as compelling.

Songs about sex and cars have always been a staple of rock and roll and ZZ Top. But that doesn't automatically make for good r-n-r. "Mescalero" is plenty evidence of that.

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