Jimmy The Dog
Runnin’ With The Pack
Self-Release
Honky-Tonkin’, Boundary Crossin’ Grizzly Rock For Grown Ups.
It’s not a complaint, but I do get a bit overwhelmed by albums from the all corners of the Music scene and many can fall by the wayside simply because I don’t have the time to listen to everything that gets sent; or more importantly give them the time they deserve, which is why I always start my reviews with the opening track…..an opening track has to capture my attention within a minute some days.
The title track Runnin’ With The Pack did that within 30 seconds!
A wailing guitar solo (a Fender Telecaster if I’m not mistaken) followed by a grizzled voice, that sounds like it’s got a lot of stories from a life well lived in punched its way out of the speakers and I was hooked.
Who doesn’t like a song with a great hook, a melody and girlie backing singers? Not many I’d guess; so this is a song (and an album) for all of you/us.
I know next to nothing about Jimmy The Dog aka Jim Ferrie, nor do I need to with classy songs like Tumbleweed and the memorable Any Minute Now with it’s nod in the direction of early Dire Straits.
This appears to be Ferrie’s third album, with the first being released in 2013 and with songwriting as sharp as on Mule, you wonder why this dude with the naturally silver goatee beard has been for the previous 20 or 30 years. The song itself sounds perfect for audience interaction on the ‘Oooh – Ahh’ chorus.
Self produced and playing the vast majority of instruments himself, Ferrie has done a great job mixing Country-Rock, Chicago style Blues and the odd pinch of Classic R&B making it sound as natural as breathing on the love songs You’re All I Need and Countdown to Love; and he even goes a little Funky on Cross My Heart and Lovejack (think Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, if you will).
I can only imagine the shiver of excitement you would feel if you were in a bar in New Orleans, New York or New Brighton and Jimmy the Dog’s slick touring band fired up Love Or The Lack for the first time in your life. Trust me you would be strait on to Twitter swearing you had seen the future of Rock & Roll (slight exaggeration perhaps, but if you had had a few beers you may).
There is another song here that fits that bill exactly too; and it’s been an ‘ear-worm’ for me over the last few weeks……Fire In The Hole. Wow….wailing harmonica, sweet guitar licks, pounding drums, a bass line from Hades and breathless vocals straight from the Crawdaddy Club in 65 combine on 3 minutes of Rock perfection.
Jimmy The Dog? A sweaty hybrid of just about everything I’ve liked over the years – The Yardbirds, Dire Straits, Bo Diddley, Joe Cocker, CCR and a smidgen of 70’s Rod Stewart. What’s not to like?
Released December 19th 2016 (download) CD – January 2017
http://www.jimmythedog.com/info
The Rocking Magpie 