Jo Dog & The Desperados - Single & E.P. review

If you were a fan of The Dogs d'Amour in the late 80s/early 90s you sure know who these guys are.

Jo Dog, Steve James & Bam Ross along with Tyla are responsible for the best Dogs d'Amour records and are forever the classic line up of the band. Of course there have been legion of musicians in Dogs ranks but none have left a deeper mark than this wild bunch.

But The Dogs d'Amour are no more. All 4 reunited years ago for a few benefit gigs for one of their friend and even recorded an E.P. but ultimately call it quit.

And while 2 of them are living in the USA (Jo & Bam) and the third one still in sunny England (Steve) they managed to record new songs in 2017 under the name Jo Dog & The Desperados.

"Preacher's Blues" was the first to be unleashed as a Digital single. And now a 10inch E.P. featuring 2 tracks, both in 2 different Electric and Acoustic mixes. The record is a Limited Edition of course, in green vinyl, and with artwork done by Jo himself.

What can I say ? Listen to them is like reunited with a long lost friend. And it feels pretty good ! The trio is not trying to recreate an old sound, they are the vivid elements that have delivered such timeless records such as "In the Dynamite Jet Saloon", "Straight" or "A Graveyard of Empty Bottles". And their playing and style is unique  and immediately recognizable. So we could say it does sound like the Dogs but sum it up to only that would be way too easy. And unfair.

Steve has always been the multi task force back in the days. Bass, acoustic guitar, saxophone and vocals (the song "Billy Two Rivers" is a fine example) so it's no surprise that he's taking care of the vocals here.

All songs are co-written by them all, the mixing is perfectly done by Bam and there's a bit of piano on "Every Star", thanks to Bam's wife and musical partner Share (Vixen and once a Dogs d'Amour). So you really can say its a band effort.

All 3 songs are great, "Preacher's Blues" being the most up-tempo of them while "Every Star" and "King For Day" are more laid-back. There's bitter-sweetness in all of them that bring you on a reflective mood, perfectly served by Jo's guitar magic. It's even more accurate on the acoustic versions. More stripped down version of the songs that really showcase how well-written the tracks are.

Young men's shambles are long gone, we all have aged. Quite well in this case.

Impeccable.

Jo Dog & The Desperados "Preacher's Blues" (2017)

Digital single

Jo Dog & The Desperados "King For A Day / Every Star" (2017)

10inch vinyl

First Side : Every Star (Electric) ; Every Star (Acoustic)
Seconf Side : King For A Day (Electric) ; King For A Day (Acoustic)







https://www.facebook.com/Jodogandthedesperados/