CD Reviews

George Thorogood | The Dirty Dozen

Capitol (2009)

By JEFF TAMARKIN | July 22, 2009

3.0 Stars

Before you press PLAY, you know what you're going to get on The Dirty Dozen: music to drink lots of beer by. There's nothing unpredictable about George Thorogood and the Destroyers, no pretense of progression or fine art — this is a bar band who've never aspired to be anything more. Thorogood is all about rough-edged, fuzzy blues-rock guitar with a healthy dollop of slide, Howlin' Wolf–inspired vocal grit, and songs either written by the masters or closely patterned after them.

If the Destroyers' audience has dwindled, that's as much because there's never anything new to report as it is because of the flagging horsepower of the band's recent output. But the still-faithful can relax: The Dirty Dozen is a return to form.

Although no one would ever tag these guys as originals, and blues hardliners will never accept them, Thorogood and company are capable of burning hot, and they do on this return to Capitol Records, home of the '82 best-of Bad to the Bone. The only twist: Thorogood splits the set evenly between new studio recordings and "fan favorites," returning to the Chess Records well (Wolf, Dixon, Berry, Waters, Diddley) and tossing in the odd R&B barnburner (the Roy Head raver "Treat Her Right") and country-rock staple ("Six Days on the Road," one of three previously out-of-print tracks offered as bait).

Topics: CD Reviews , George Thorogood, Roy Head, Howlin' Wolf, More

| More

Most Popular

The Current Issue

Table of Contents

Cover Archive

Masthead | Authors | Contact us

Blogs

Where To Follow Me
Talking Politics | March 24, 2013 at 11:09 AM

Mo Takes His Turn
March 21, 2013 at 12:59 PM

[Q&A] KMFDM's Sascha Konietzko on art, Columbine and having balls
On The Download | March 18, 2013 at 3:22 PM

See this film series: The Belmont World Film Series @ Studio Cinema in Belmont
Outside The Frame | March 18, 2013 at 11:00 AM

See this film: This is Spinal Tap [with post-film talk by expert from Acoustical Society of America] @ the Coolidge
March 17, 2013 at 12:00 PM

ARTICLES BY JEFF TAMARKIN

NEW YORK DOLLS | DANCING BACKWARDS IN HIGH HEELS | March 17, 2011
The new New York Dolls have now been around longer - and released more albums (three) - than the old New York Dolls, and they're commemorating that new longevity by letting go of any compulsion they may have still harbored to honor their designation as "punk-rock progenitors."

BLACK JOE LEWIS & THE HONEYBEARS | SCANDALOUS | March 09, 2011
The soul revival has been going on long enough now that maybe it's a not a bad idea to stop calling it a revival at all.

BRYAN FERRY | OLYMPIA | October 19, 2010
From the Kate Moss cover pic to the A-list of guest stars to the reunion with original Roxy Music members Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, and Andy Mackay, Olympia screams, "EVENT!"

OLD 97'S | THE GRAND THEATRE | October 12, 2010
When Old 97's are on — which they are most of the time on their eighth studio album — they're very, very on.

DAR WILLIAMS | MANY GREAT COMPANIONS | October 05, 2010
The companions of the title are Dar Williams's songs, which the singer-songwriter revisits here two different ways.