It’s been a while between drinks as they say. 6 years going on seven since the pre-pandemic ‘Nothing But The Truth’ hit in 2018. And if I’m honest this might just be the Prophet’s bets release yet…
‘Flavor of the Danger’ there’s a little of everything in the rather clean sounding opener – a splash of Johnny Thunders, melodies of Ramones and a dash of Sleaze via Dog’s D’Amour. It’s a kind of lower key opener than you might expect and certainly not a ‘sonic slap in the face’ – more of a ‘welcome back old friend’ kind of moment.
‘Let’s Get High’ nails a Dolls riff and is all laid back cool, it’ another mid tempo jaunt that I instantly warmed to and still think it’s one of my favourites here. ‘Slippin’ Away’ puts the brakes on the already gently cruising car, it’s a great languid reminiscence, a cool ballad that shows a lot of maturity. And it’s all aces so far when ‘Walk the World’ finally picks up some pace and has a kind of 90’s smooth Iggie meets Billy Idol groove. So far so good!
‘Maggie May’ is an interesting punky version of the all time classic and as a huge early Rod Stewart and Faces fan it’s great to hear him reinterpreted, it’s a great take on a classic song but I’ll stick with the original. As a selection what it does do though, is show how the sound of the band takes on elements of the past to create something that nods to the past and thrusts into the future.
‘Superhero’ which you might have seen the video for a few moths back is a cool catchy rocker and ‘I Want You to Know’ a Dogs meets Reggae rocker that is uniquely appealing if rather brief. We go back to the acoustic for ‘Hollywood’ a song that has a real Dogs D’Amour vibe both sonically and vocally. It’s a bittersweet ode to the place, beautifully played, and a real highlight. ‘Wasted Tears’ is another cool spiteful stab at lost love. Indeed the album is beautifully played and has a great ‘clean but sleazy’ sound with some great guitar from GG, Tchad Drats and Terry Bratsch, and a solid rhythm section in Phil Soussan (who also does a wonderful job of producing) and Wayne Stokely on drums.
And just when you think they’ve peaked there’s ‘Last one in the Bar’ produces another whisky and smoke fueled hit, and closer ‘Take me to Your Leader’ sends us off in style with a wake up call to the latest generation. If you love bands like The Dogs D’Amour then Prophets of Addiction always had elements of that classic sound but you know what I think that this time round Lesli has pulled one out of the hat and as they sy in certain parts of teh world ‘played a blinder’. This is his and the bands greatest moment to date. Wonderful.
8 / 10
Track List:
01. Flavor of The Danger
02. Let’s Get High
03. Slippin’ Away
04. Walk The World
05. Maggie May
06. Superhero
07. I Want You To Know
08. Hollywood
09. Wasted Tears
10. Last One In The Bar
11. Take Me To Your Leader
Line-up for Album:
Lesli Sanders – lead vocals, guitars
Phil Soussan – bass, piano, mandolin, percussion, backing vocals
Wayne Stokely – drums, backing vocals
Tchad Drats – guitar, ebow, backing vocals
G.G. – guitars, backing vocals
Terry Bratsch – acoustic guitar, electric steel, backing vocals
