Album Review: Diamond Dogs - "Recall Rock 'n' Roll and the Magic Soul"

 


The news last year that veteran Swedish old school rock 'n' rollers the Diamond Dogs had returned to the fray after a five year hiatus was generally greeted pretty warmly by all concerned. Similar to a Swedish version of the Quireboys, their more down to earth bluesy approach to rock 'n' roll marked them out as real contenders in the early noughties on the back of albums such as Too Much Is Always Better Than Not Enough and Up The Rock with a sound that was a world away from the peroxided poodle rock that a lot of their fellow Swedes tend to be guilty of when it comes to this sort of music.

The band went on hiatus in 2015 following the passing of sax player Magic Gunnarsson (with frontman Sulo putting out some very worthy solo albums in the interim as well as fronting street-rock supergroup the Crunch) and this return effort is half originals and half covers which, if I'm honest, kind of makes it feel like a bit of a stop-gap album. Nevertheless, there's some good stuff on here - the opening title track is definitely prime Diamond Dogs with the Mott and Faces influences worn proudly on its sleeve, likewise the strutting Valentina (Queen of Hearts) and the soulful balladry of Singin' With Elvis and Soul Folks.

The only trouble is...I dunno if this is just me getting older but it kind of feels like the Dogs are on autopilot a bit in places here as a couple of tracks like Heavy Swing and the plodding There Is A Fire Down There tend to have a bit of a "seen this done better before" feel to them and while the covers side is executed well (and features Spike from the Quireboys and Danny from Thunder among other guests), only seven originals does kind of leave you feeling a bit short changed overall.

Recall Rock 'n' Roll, despite a couple of filler numbers, does still prove that the Diamond Dogs still have the fire of old within them but the half-covers thing makes it feel more like the band are testing the water before unleashing an all-guns-blazing comeback proper. Hopefully when their next album arrives, it'll be a more consistent reminder of what they can do. As for this one, it's still recommended for Diamond Dogs fans (and those who enjoy blues-rock in general) but approach with caution...

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌓🌓🌓🌓🌓🌓🌑🌑🌑🌑 (6/10)

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