Genre: Rock n Roll
Record Label: Spitfire Music/PIAS
Release Date: September 8th
Links: https://www.facebook.com/TheDeadDaisies
Line Up:
Jon Stevens – Vocals
David Lowy – Guitar
Richard Fortus – Lead Guitar
Marco Mendoza – Bass
Dizzy Reed – Keyboards
Brian Tichy – Drums
Track Listing:
Face I Love
Angel In Your Eyes
Your Karma
Helter Skelter
The Dead Daisies are a supergroup formed around the main partnership of singer Jon Stevens and guitarist David Lowy, while the other musicians are part of a rotating line-up from a collective with many years of experience playing with bands such as Guns N’ Roses, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake and Ozzy Osbourne to name just a few. After touring extensively to support their critically acclaimed debut album, the band have jumped straight back into the studio and produced this 4 track EP.
“Face I Love” is the first track and within 10 seconds I’m grinning and a new convert to The Dead Daisies! With a sound influenced by 70’s era Aerosmith and Rolling Stones, this is Rock ‘n’ Roll which is a serious amount of fun. Starting with a typical guitar riff which sounds exactly how it should, this is then joined by some excellent piano – familiar yet at the same time fresh. Jon’s rough vocals are just right for this kind of music and suit the laid back style perfectly, bringing to mind late nights and smoke filled bars. The hook during the chorus will have this song in your head for days and a great solo from Richard just has my smile getting wider all the time.
“Angel In Your Eyes” is next and has a great but simple riff that will have you moving some part of your body before you even know it and the vocals demonstrate the size of Jon’s talent with his range and power. Once again there’s a catchy chorus that will have you singing along after the first listen and the keyboard playing of Dizzy is a subtle but important element that help to complete the song.
“Your Karma” is the last original song and if someone told you it was a lost Aerosmith track from ’74 you wouldn’t be surprised – Jon definitely channelled his inner Tyler on this one! But while the style of riff is familiar and similar to “that” other band, the solo is anything but, with a much more aggressive style and a modern sound. The comparison to Aerosmith is no complaint though as it’s meant as a compliment and, it seems, with the vocals as they are, quite deliberate and this is probably my favourite track from the EP.
Finishing things off is a cover of “Helter Skelter” which is actually quite faithful to the original Beatles version, albeit not quite as “raw”. I wouldn’t skip the track but neither would it be the first one I’d put on either and I feel that it would really come into its own live where the musicians could have fun and improvise.
I can safely say that if you can sit still while this is on then you need to be checked for a pulse as it is just such good fun. This is a tremendous EP that acts as a great introduction to the band and the perfect antidote to a bad day at work as it will make you smile like an idiot. I highly recommend it.
Written by Duncan Everson
Ratings Duncan 10/10
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