Turn That Noise Down - Izzy Stradlin & the Ju Ju Hounds

So many well-known albums turn 30 this year and Steve Taylor-Bryant and Susan Omand travel back to 1992 to revisit some of the sounds of their youth that made parents shout "Turn that noise down!" This week, Steve finds some good Ju Ju...

I’m not sure what I was expecting when Izzy Stradlin returned to the limelight after his exit from the Guns n Roses spotlight. Something definitely guitar based without Slash frills for sure, but would he be bluesy? Stay heavy rock-ish? Something totally new or something akin to his influences? Well it turned out to be a little of everything. 

Izzy Stradlin & the Ju Ju Hounds (Rick Richard’s from The Georgia Satellites on lead, Jimmy Ashurst on bass from Buckcherry, and drummer Charlie ‘Chalo’ Quintana of punk band Social Distortion fame) is probably the best Rolling Stones album since the late 70’s and with its guest appearance by Ron Wood I think that statement could actually be a classification. It’s very Rolling Stones, heavy but melodic, technical but simple, live sounding but elegant, bluesy as anything Keith Richards has ever done and whilst in places the tracks are a bit indistinguishable from each other at least they’re all half decent rock blues tracks. Shuffle it All is a cracking tune that I imagine live would be a real foot tapper, Ian McLagan of The Faces on Hammond organ lends a real rock in the 70’s vibe and it’s probably the standout number from 10 of the 11 tracks.

However I like things done a little differently and whilst a Rolling Stones tribute album is fine I want drums and bravery, and a punk version of the classic Maytals track Pressure Drop really scratches that itch for me. It’s what I loved from Izzy in his GnR shows but with an audible smile and I never tire of it.

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