Dirty Honey sound like mid-70s Aerosmith, with a dash of Led Zeppelin due to Marc LaBelle’s vocals. Better still, nothing sounds forced. The only thing mannered is their wardrobe.
While no track on new album Can’t Find The Brakes is radically original, there’s still plenty to enjoy, not least opener Don’t Put Out The Fire, a slow-burner with shades of AC/DC. Won’t Take Me Alive is pure vintage Aerosmith (not as sharp lyrically, but nice and ratty nonetheless), while on Dirty Mind new drummer Jaydon Bean follows a Joey Kramer-style swing groove.
They’re not quite as effective when they drop down a gear to aim for a big ballad with Roam and closer You Make It All Right, but the acoustic Coming Home (Ballad Of The Shire) is pretty good.
- "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
- “There’s nothing here we haven’t heard before, but the band’s laser-focused endeavour is almost tangible”: 10 years in, Dorothy delivers her best album yet with The Way
Ultimately, though, Dirty Honey are best when putting boot to buttock. The title track is particularly fabulous and effortlessly funky, and the band can be proud of that.
