Ratt: Holding Pattern

** 1/2RATT. “Reach for the Sky.” Atlantic. Since Ratt’s big splash in the early ‘80s, its popularity has been in a slow but steady decline. “Reach for the Sky,” their fourth LP, may put them in a holding pattern, but it is unlikely to win them any new fans. While this is a solid hard-rock album, these street-wise veterans come from an earlier era, and the sound reflects a different time and place. The problem is a record that would have been exciting in ’85 is not going to raise any eyebrows now.

Even though Ratt’s music has progressed little from its inception, the L.A. quintet still has the ability to create hip-grinding rhythms and attention-grabbing riffs. Lyrically, “I Want a Woman” shows a maturing in attitude within Ratt’s sex/party/rock ‘n’ roll motif. But the most telling song is “Chain Reaction,” in which the band attempts to update its sound with a speedier, meaner approach--and falls short.