WHAT WAS HE THINKING?

Not every production job can be an album by Bonnie Raitt, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan or Willie Nelson.

Don Was has been in the studio with those artists, but sprinkled throughout his long and mostly impressive resume as a producer are a few head-scratching choices.

One of them is Poison. Hey, a producer has to do what a producer has to do in terms of landing studio work, but publicly exaggerating the skills of a low-level metal band and serving as a shill should not be part of the gig.

Poison'd, an all-covers album due June 5, features nine songs produced by Was. Here's what he had to say about Poison in a press release that was issued today (April 3) via EMI America/Capitol:

"Poison is one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands in the world and, after 20 years, they can slam better than ever."

Wait, there's more:

"They're powerful musicians and very cool guys," Was added. "We had a lot of fun making this album, and I think you can hear it in the grooves -- it's got the jive and is truly alive! I urge everyone to listen to it!"

Sounds like Was is the one who has the jive, and he should know by now that choosing one's words is just as important as choosing projects.