Album Review: Kris Rodgers & The Dirty Gems - "Still Dirty"

 

We first heard from Wicked Cool signed power poppers Kris Rodgers & The Dirty Gems via their supremely funky She Likes To Party single towards the end of last year and now we have the group's debut album ready to go here. Said single kickstarts the album and it still sounds good now with its infectious chorus and squeezebox led guitar (although it's a bit difficult to get Murray Head's old novelty hit One Night In Bangkok out of your head while listening to it if you're of a certain age!)

Said song also kind of plots out the way this album goes thereafter - it's all big bold brass soaked soul-influenced rock 'n' roll complete with Rodgers' swirling keyboards over the top as evidenced on the Stax style strut of I Can't Give It and I'm Your Man and the well handled cover of Elton John's Take Me To The Pilot. It's all good stuff played with plenty of enthusiasm and clearly designed with pinpoint precision to get a crowd dancing after a few pints but my only complaint is that it starts to get a tiny bit samey as the album goes on.

There's the odd slight deviation away from the formula such as the Thin Lizzy style rolling riff of Don't Look Back and the gentle balladry of Across The Galaxy and See You Again while Tortuga goes into almost mambo territory but by and large this is the sound of a band finding a formula they're happy with and sticking to it. Not bad then but it's just missing a proper knockout blow to really reel your attention in. Still, I'm sure that on this evidence that'll come in time and I get the impression that this lot can properly kickstart a party in the live arena.

Bandcamp Link

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑🌑 (7/10)

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