The return of John Corabi to The Dead Daisies after a couple of albums with Glenn Hughes was always going to be interesting!
The Dead Daisies historically don’t consider themselves to be a supergroup, Preferring instead to be considered a collective and with their revolving door of alumni and the pedigree of those musicians it’s easy to see how both labels can apply.
The only consistent member over the course of this band’s twelve year career is guitarist and band founder David Lowy. The rest of the band has featured members of Guns N’ Roses, Whitesnake, The Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, and a variety of other notable bands.
The Dead Daisies have had three singers to date and all three are very good in their own right, But in my personal opinion their best one is John Corabi.
John is most known as being the singer who replaced Vince Neil in Motley Crue, Prior to that he recorded an album with his old band The Scream, Later he would go on to form Union with Ex-KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.
I’m a big fan of John Corabi. He is in my opinion a very underrated singer, Musician, and songwriter.
John’s influences come more from the 60’s and 70’s and which makes him a perfect fit for The Dead Daisies. Motley Crue might be what he’s most known for, But The Dead Daisies will go down as the best thing he ever did musically and I will die on that hill defending that opinion.
John left the band after their album Burn It Down and was replaced by legendary singer/bassist Glenn Hughes with whom they recorded two albums, and while I like those albums i feel they lack the edge and swagger that John brings. Last year John returned to the band and The Dead Daisies embarked on a tour where they put on an incredible live show that I personally saw when they played Las Vegas.
I’ve been looking forward to new music from these guys ever since it was announced John Corabi was back in the band and I’m happy to report that Light ‘Em Up is well worth the wait, It’s at once what fans love about the Corabi era albums as well as having some new surprises.
“Light ‘Em Up” is the album’s opening salvo and hits like a barrage of rock n roll missiles, The guitars and drums begin the assault, John’s vocals leading the charge with all the power and grit he is known and loved for. This is the type of down and dirty hard rock anthem that was missing in the Hughes era, If you loved their albums Make Some Noise and Burn It Down this song really carries the torch for those records. THIS is how every rock band should start an album, Kick the listeners ass and leave them ready for more.
There’s a slightly blues meets The Beatles and Creedence Clearwater Revival groove going on with the guitars and rhythm section on “Times Are Changing” the drums really lead the way on this track, The chorus has great rhythm guitar riffs courtesy of rhythm guitarist David Lowy. There’s a fantastic guitar solo by lead guitarist Doug Aldrich who never ceases to impress with his mastery of his instrument.
I get a strong The Kinks meets Cheap Trick influence on the riffs of “I Want To Be Your Bitch” but with a bit of a punk rock snarl, I can see this going over really well live and getting the audience moving.
“I’m Gonna Ride” starts out with a great bass line by Michael Devin that builds to a song straight out of Bon Scott era AC/DC during the verses, John Corabi dialing up the rock n roll swagger to 11 in the best motorcycle riding anthem I’ve heard in many years. The gorgeous hard hitting riffs, Strong rhythm section, Grooving, Incendiary guitar leads, powerful vocals..This song is EVERYTHING you could want in a hard rock song.
“Back To Zero” is an unexpected track musically. If you put William DuVall and Jerry Cantrell on vocals you’d never know this wasn’t an Alice In Chains song. Between the riffs and the background vocal harmonies it sounds like that band. It’s a decent enough song with great playing, But in my opinion it’s the weaker track on the album.
“Way Back Home” is the sort of 70’s inspired rock song that harkens back to the first couple Dead Daisies albums and the rhythm section really shines on this song, Another great rocker.
The Dead Daises have a long tradition of doing a cover song on their albums. Something I really appreciate about these guys is that not only do they make those covers their own, They tend to pick songs that are lesser known and that is the case with their cover of “Take A Long Line” by The Angels.
I had never heard of that band before and gave the original a listen to compare and it’s definitely a perfect song for The Dead Daisies to cover, But as I said these guys make it their own while keeping the bones of the song in tact.
One thing immediately noticeable is how much more forward in the mix the bass is in this version verses the original and the song is all the richer for it. The guitars cut like a bone saw and John’s vocals are on fire here spitting rock n roll fire verses the punk snarl of the original. Doug’s leads slithering flourishes in the song, This is honestly a spectacular cover and I personally prefer it largely over the original.
“My Way Or The Highway” has a slight Lynard Skynard influence in the melody of the main verse riffs and it shows a bit in the lead as well, But the hard hitting riffs balance it out. Another great rocker.
As I mentioned above, I think John Corabi is a very underrated songwriter and if you need any more evidence of that then you will find it in spades on “Love That’ll Never Be” the albums only ballad and one of the most breathtaking moments on this album, It’ll be a tragedy if this song isn’t a single.
Bluesy southern rock rhythm guitar playing starts it off alongside drums, Acoustic guitars and keys playing in the background as John sings his heart out. Doug Aldrich cannot be praised enough for his skill and perfect ability to play to what the song needs and the melody and technique he puts into his solos, Something that is vital when you are doing a song this beautiful. Apparently John had this song mostly done before he rejoined the band and decided to try it out, It’s a good thing he did because this is an absolute gem of a song.
For the final track it’s time to put away the lighters (or cell phone lights these days) for “Take My Soul” which is one more hard rocker for the road, You could look at this as the encore after that last song.
Chains and slide guitar play to a single pounding kick drum to start the song out before John croons some bluesy rock vocals, This song rocks with a George Thorogood meets Lynard Skynard groove and a dash of Dire Straits for good measure. This is a song with swagger sung for you by a rock n roll preacher and his battle hardened band, That’s how this song comes across in my opinion.
If I’m offering one critique it would be that I would’ve switched the sequence of the last two songs, the ballad would’ve been better placed as the album closer.
The Dead Daises as a band might be relatively new, But the music reflects that its members are legends and their playing and skill is breathtaking. The songs are incredible and for those of you who like me were really excited about the return of John Corabi you have something to really be excited about, Light ‘Em Up is a fitting title for an incendiary album that should be listened to by any fan of quality rock n roll.
9/10
