Review: Dirty Shirley, "Dirty Shirley"

Overview

George Lynch may just be the busiest man in rock 'n' roll these days. Every time you turn around, it seems like he has a new project. The latest is blues rock outfit Dirty Shirley.

What's hot?

Vocalist Dino Jelusic is an absolute beast. His vocals make me wonder if Dio and Whitesnake toured Croatia together back in the early 1990s and if so, where his mother was that night. I joke, of course, but Ronnie James Dio and David Coverdale both are prominent in his influences, along with Jorn Lande. Even if nothing else worked on the record, it would be worth the listen just for his voice. Luckily there are also some tasty, nasty blues grooves from Lynch like the one on album opener "Here Comes the King" and a few strange moments like the Zeppelin-meets-Alice in Chains sound of "Grand Master."

What's not?

Dirty Shirley has the same issue that I have with a lot of Lynch projects. The songs that I like, I really like. There are a few tunes on the album that I want to crank up every time they come on, and the rest are just kind of meh. I don't really dislike anything on the record, but there are a lot of songs that just don't distinguish themselves from other bands who play this style.

The verdict

Dirty Shirley delivers a solid collection of heavy blues rock. There's nothing groundbreaking in the 11 tracks here (12 if you count two different cuts of "Higher"), but it's well executed. As always, Lynch's licks sear, even on the songs that are not quite as interesting, and it's worth the time to check it out for Jelusic's voice alone.

Check Out: "Here Comes the King," "Dirty Blues," "Cold," "Higher"
Consider: Everything else on the record