DIRTY SHIRLEY – Dirty Shirley (Album Review)

DIRTY SHIRLEY – Debut

“A project with Dino Jelusick on vocals/keys, George Lynch on guitar, Tom Roxx on bass and Will Hunt on drums.”  So says Dirty Shirley‘s Facebook bio, which gives not a great deal of information about a band that has produced one of the best debut albums since the Badlands self-titled epic.

The fact that George Lynch was attached to this band was a major draw for me.  Lynch‘s work with Dokken and Lynch Mob made me a fan and I was interested what the singer from the fabulous Animal Drive would add to the party.  Boy, it  was worth the wait!

DIRTY SHIRLEY – Dirty Shirley

The record floats my boat.  It is a wonderful collection of timeless Hard Rock/Metal tunes with a bucketful of memorable hooks.  The singing of Dino is out of this world and the vibe is very much Dio/Whitesnake.  It reminds me of Badlands in their prime, but with more modern production.

“Here Comes The King” sets the tone.  The track fills your soul with memories of Dio in its grinding riff and Dino‘s powerful sound.  George multi-tracks the guitars to paradise and the drums are battering beasts of beats.  The hooks are where this band excel.  They got more hooks than Mohammed Ali in his youth.  Floats like a butterfly and definitely stings like a bee.

The album charges ahead with phenomenal tracks such as “Disappear“, with its vocal harmonies and “Siren Song“. Believe me, I have road-tested the crap out of this sucker and it makes driving so much more pleasant.

There are many highlights to this debut, but the absolute zenith is “Higher (Alternative Cut)“.  This an epic with a groove that will get you nodding your head and a riff that absolutely blows you away.  It is a heavy song in both tone and lyrical content, being about domestic abuse and abuse generally.

Final Thoughts

This album is class.  The songs will stay with you and the musicianship is first-rate.  It may well be one of my Top Ten of 2020…Stay tuned!

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Coxy

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