Review Summary: Gritty, dirty, old-fashioned rock and roll
Dirty Honey's self-released, self-titled album swaggers confidently and convincingly amongst the year's most interesting releases. The Los Angeles-based quintet is another of those bands exhibiting the energy and the willingness to reignite the seventies rock spirit through their "new-fashioned rock n' roll", as guitarist John Notto put it in an interview.
Arguably, the opener "California Dreamin'" is a bold rocker with a catchy chorus created for endless repeats. It's all about chasing the dream of coming to California to make it but it doesn’t always work out. The agitation in LaBelle’s vocals as he sings about downshifting from fantasy to reality comes in a form of realism.
Following the bombastic opener comes the passionate "The Wire" where Labelle evokes the wails of Plant and Steven Tyler, demonstrating in this way his vocal heroes; if that has not been manifested already. The explosive "Tied Up" with its pompous riff and tight groove is probably the album's second highlight and the electrifying "The Morning" exhibits the band's rock and roll prowess.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Californians are not re-inventing the wheel. Through their loud rock chords and chunky riffs, they embrace the past and have a genuine love for the genre that they represent. They have jumped the classic rock revival train that looked to be catching fire with groups like Greta Van Fleet and Rival Sons before them. We are now curious to see how far they can go.
