Dirty Americans – Strange Generation
1. No Rest
2. Car Crash
3. Strange Generation
4. Burn You Down
5. Time in Space
6. Give It Up
7. Dead Man
8. Control
9. Deep End
10. Way to Go
11. Light-Headed
12. Chico
13. We Were Young
Leave it to the Motor City to continuously crank out musical groups that inject some life into the staid, placid music scene again and again. The MC5, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, The White Stripes, Eminem, Kid Rock, etc. The list goes on and on. There’s a reason KISS made a song called “Detroit Rock City”. And now, the newest band out of Detroit to give rock and roll a solid kick to the posterior is a classic power band called Dirty Americans.
Forget any glitz, any bling, any frills. This ain’t MTV music. Dirty Americans play straight-ahead, good old-fashioned rock like your daddy or older brother used to listen to. Their debut album, Strange Generation, evokes memories of classic bands like Blue Oyster Cult, Grand Funk Railroad, and Cheap Trick. But they’re not a retro act, ala Lenny Kravitz or The Black Crowes. It’s more like Dirty Americans, with lead singer Myron, guitarist Jeff Piper, bassist Pete Bever, and drummer Jeremiah Pilbeam, are a bunch of guys that didn’t grow up in the 80’s or 90’s. They were time-warped from 1978 to 2005 to show us the true meaning of rock.
The album immediately kicks into high gear with the opening track, “No Rest”, with a driving guitar lick from Piper and a pulsing backbeat courtesy of Pilbeam. “Car Crash” is an infectious, fun tune, with Myron singing about the downside of love. “Strange Generation”, the title track, hits a solid groove and doesn’t let go. “Burn You Down” evokes memories of BOC with its harmonies and guitars. This is about as good an opening lineup you’ll find on any album.
The ret of the album doesn’t let up. From the slower tempo of “Give It Up” to the blazing rhythm of “Control” to the flat-out rocking “Chico”, this album kicks ass from top to bottom. This is one of those rare albums that are listenable the whole way through. There are no tracks to be skipped. Slap the CD in your car, crank the volume up, and hit the road, secure in the knowledge that, once again, a Detroit band is showing the rest of the music world the true meaning of rock and roll.
