Bringing in Glenn Hughes as frontman for two albums was the best thing the Dead Daisies have ever done, elevating their sound with mountain-moving power and sonic intrigue. Conversely, with Hughes leaving to rejoin Black Country Communion, bringing back ex-Mötley Crüe singer John Corabi is a clear downgrade.
Presumably they’ve reverted to meat-and-potatoes rock to better suit the latter’s raspy vocals – a tacky throwaway like I Wanna Be Your Bitch wouldn’t happen on Hughes’s watch.
But the album is not all a disappointment. Guitar demon Doug Aldrich is still doing his thing: channelling Angus Young on I’m Gonna Ride, then ripping up the fretboard on Take A Long Line.
- "Like remembering your 16-year-old self watch your parents dance at a wedding": Bad Company fail to recapture old glories on Desolation Angels
- "Strong evidence that classic rock as an ongoing and healthy genre is worth checking out": The Temperance Movement don't reinvent the wheel on A Deeper Cut, but they sure keep it spinning in the right direction
Hughes left of his own volition, but you wonder how a more compelling replacement would have fared. Light ‘Em Up is a case of what might have been.
