CD REVIEW: THE DEAD DAISIES – Burn It Down

Shane | 18 April 2018 | Reply

CD REVIEW: THE DEAD DAISIES – Burn It Down
Spitfire Music/SPV
6 April, 2018
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
8 ½ /10

Credit where it’s due – after two good-not-great (plus one live outing) albums that sounded like what they were – a group of veteran sidemen bankrolled by a rich kid with rockstar ambitions – Dead Daisies have finally gelled enough to sound as good on record as they did on their debut album with Jon Stevens out front.

That’s not to detract from singer John Corabi, bassist Marco Mendoza, guitarist Doug Aldrich or now-gone drummer Brian Tichy. Bands take time to find their sound, and Corabi especially really has come into his own on this album, his vocals swinging with a soulful groove.

Their live album especially was disappointingly one-dimensional, but here the band are in rude form. Resurrected and Rise Up are balls to the wall rockers opening the record; Burn It Down is a bluesier slow burner; Judgement Day sees Corabi injecting a Southern gospel hangover-from-life feel with excellent results; their cover of The Stones’ Bitch is a good time barroom ruckus; and Set Me Free is a gorgeous blues ballad.

Dead and Gone and Can’t Take It With You tread a similar path to their last couple of albums, while Leave Me Alone may be the closest thing here to Corabi’s under-rated work with Motley Crue, and their closing cover of Revolution rivals The Beatles for its laid back, jammy vibe, with new drummer Deen Castronovo injecting just the right amount of swing as the others and David Lowy rip it up.

Burn It Down doesn’t quite rival the soulful heights of The Daisies’ debut, but it’s easily the best thing they’ve done since – the sound of a band having fun and stretching out with great results.