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Dirty Skirty: Rebel
Dirty Skirty Rebel CD Album Review

Dirty Skirty: Rebel

Melodic Hard Rock
4.5/5.0

Website Facebook
Unsigned / Self-released
Words by Craig Hartranft,  17.04.2014

It's tale that can only be told in the annals of rock n roll history. Couple of dudes decide to form a band to play straight up classic American rock and Dirty Skirty is born. Said band turns their local music scene upside down with their tunes and attitude, successfully pissing off most every one a long the way, excepting their ever growing fan base. The usual personnel changes ensue, but they still write songs for an album. Album gets cut, then Dirty Skirty does both a release party and farewell show. Shows over. Or is it?

Dirty Skirty Rebel Band Photo

Dirty Skirty: live without a net.

Then some genius at an internationally recognized website that digs classic rock (sorry, it wasn't yours truly) discovers the first album, Long Live Rock n Roll, and basically goes apeshit crazy over it. Mayhem ensues, as fans around the world clamor for the album, with the band selling 150 units a week at one point. Will success go to their heads? Probably. But, in the meantime, while they smack their collective asses with congratulatory slaps, they reunite, they get playing and writing and, yep, album number two, Rebel sees the light of day.

And it's a fine one at that. Dirty Skirty wears their influences on their sleeves, digging deep into the well of classic melodic hard rock, channeling everybody from Aerosmith to Guns N Roses, from Motley Crue to AC/DC (they do a nice cover of Girls Got Rhythm). Throw in a bit of Lynyrd Skynyrd meets George Satellites southern moves within Tallahassee and Candy Land (it's not about the kid's game), and you have a notion of their sound. And don't forget some of that Eighties sleaze rock swagger as it comes with You've Got It & I Want It, Rockin' You 2 Pieces, and the dangerously addictive, party rocker, Devil Dancer. (Listen below.) Within that latter song, just before the solo, vocalist Luke Stephens offers some playful narration and suggestion, ala Steve Whiteman, about that party.

While, as a whole, this is a solid album, I wasn't all that impressed with My Way or The Highway and Rocking Man. They rocked, but just didn't have the appeal the other songs had to draw me in. Nevertheless, for classic American-made melodic hard rock, you would be hard to find another band that does it this well. Unfortunately, considering the nature of the American music industry and their penchant for either harshness in hardcore or pansies in skinny jeans and scarves, this album will probably fall on deaf ears. So give the modern music industry the middle finger and buy this album. Dirty Skirty's Rebel is easily recommended.


Dirty Skirty - Devil Dancer





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In Short

Dirty Skirty's Rebel is a fine and entertaining album of classic American-made melodic hard rock suitable for a road trip or your next kegger.

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