Album Review: Andy McCoy - "Jukebox Junkie"

 

Oh-ho, what have we here then? It's been a while since I heard any new material from Finland's very own rock 'n' roll sheriff but with new offerings from Nasty Suicide/Stenfors, Sami Yaffa and of course Michael Monroe landing on our review desk in the last 12 months, the prospect of some new material from Andy McCoy, even if it's just a covers album, is always something that's gonna put a smile back on my face.

The key to a good covers album on the evidence of some of the ones we've reviewed in the last few years here at Nite Songs is either a) pick a suitably eclectic selection of songs that not everyone listening is likely to be familiar with (see the Hellacopters' Head Off or the Wildhearts' Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before for examples) or just simply kick loose and sound like you're having an absolute blast doing it (see the Skids' Songs From A Haunted Ballroom last year). And I'm happy to report that Jukebox Junkie delivers on both of these fronts - McCoy is clearly a man with an eclectic taste in music and this album dashes from reggae (an energetic run through Toots & The Maytals' 54-46 Is My Number and a dubbed-up version of Phil Lynott's Solo In Soho) through country (Miss Tennessee and a gentle take on Don Williams' Shot Full Of Love packing a killer McCoy trademark solo), rockabilly (Wanda Jackson's Funnel Of Love) new wave (a cover of Squeeze's Take Me I'm Yours which works way better than it has any right to plus Bowie/Iggy's China Girl and proof that the Divinyls were so much more than that just one song with a cover of Back To The Wall), punk (a suitably apocalyptic sounding version of the UK Subs' Countdown) and classic rock 'n' roll (well executed takes on Ronnie Wood's reefer ode I Can Feel The Fire and Chris Spedding's evergreen Motorbikin'). Throughout, the sheriff and his posse for this particular record sound as if they're having an absolute blast - the only slight miss is their cover of the Climax Blues Band's Couldn't Get It Right which is okay but suffers a bit by not being quite as good as the Fun Lovin' Criminals' take on it a few years back as the little-too-clean vocals just don't quite suit the sleazy nature of the track. Overall though, despite there being 14 tracks on here, this particular joyride feels as if it's over way too soon.

Quite simply, Jukebox Junkie is an album to cheer you up after a long day and then cost you way too much money tracking down the original versions of these songs. Like I said earlier, pretty much everything a good covers album should be then and all the better for it. 

Bandcamp Link

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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