Review by Ian Savage
Release date: 16 June 2014
Talk about ‘back in the saddle’. Having put out a mere three official releases in the previous decade, The Quireboys are revving up towards their thirtieth anniversary with their second original LP in as many years. Last offering Beautiful Curse was deservedly lauded as a rollicking return to their dirty blues roots; this follow-up will be the acid test of whether they have truly rediscovered the fire of their 90s heyday.
The opening few songs certainly don’t disappoint. Opener ‘Troublemaker’ couldn’t have been better-placed, a barnstorming stomper replete with tambourine and tinkling piano augmenting the driving guitars and rhythm section, before sophomore track ‘What Do You Want From Me’ introduces a more downbeat, melancholy feel.
This is largely maintained throughout ‘Black Eyed Sons’ – for every turbo-charged hell raiser anthem (‘Double Dealin”, ‘You Never Can Tell’) there’s a couple of heart-rending odes to lovers lost and found, showcasing the more delicate and introspective side of Spike and the Quireboys’ writing. ‘Mothers Ruin’ and ‘The Messenger’ can be singled out for particular kudos, both probably best served with a cigarette, a broken heart and a straight double Jack.
Closing with the acoustic ‘Monte Casino’, this album can very easily be taken as the more sensitive, verbose sibling to ‘Beautiful Curse’ – despite a slight mid-album lag around ‘Lullaby Of London Town’, it’s another great body of work. Try a playlist of their last album and the more upbeat stuff present here for Saturday night and the remainder of ‘Black Eyed Sons’ for Sunday morning; The Quireboys are most definitely back on form.
8 out of 10
Track listing:
- Troublemaker
- What Do You Want From Me
- Juileanne
- Double Dealin’
- Stubborn Kinda Heart
- Lullaby Of London Town
- The Messenger
- You Never Can Tell
- Mothers Ruin
- Monte Casino
