Dirty Shirley – “Here Comes The King”
Dirty Shirley – “Dirty Blues”
Dirty Shirley featuring Dino Jelusic, George Lynch, and Will Hunt ROCKS
Dino Jelusick / Dirty Shirley – Higher
Review & Interview by Scotty J
Dino Jelusic may have a baby face, but his voice is way beyond his years. Dirty Shirley kicks off their debut album with “Here Comes The King”. Dino sounds eerily like the legendary Ronnie James Dio and embraces the comparison. George Lynch, with his white hair, may resemble more of a Jedi master then a man in his prime. But, he sounds as though he’s rediscovered himself yet again in this new project. Check out the official music video and judge for yourself.
Hailing from Croatia, visas are undoubtedly tuff to come by. But the metal gods must find a way to get Dino to the states for an extended day to tour. With this being Dirty Shirley’s debut album, they’d be unlikely to be more than an opener. But there isn’t a band in all the land that wouldn’t be insane for wanting them to join their tour trail. Just one more album and they’d be filling arenas! Yes they are that good.
You can bet that a drummer like Will Hunt is in all his glory. He’s been around the block, and while I don’t have first hand knowledge, I’d be willing to bet he’d say this is some of the hardest stuff he ever played. For established guys like George and Will, this has got to be a blast. I wish I was in the room when they heard Dino for the first time. Their response had to be something along the lines of “are you kidding me?”.
Knowing that Dino is a Kings X fan, and Lynch plays with dUg Pinnick in KXM, there’s got to be a way to have George pull double duty. Not only that, but having Will Hunt and Ray Luzier tearing up the drum kits? That would be epic! Maybe even get a little super group collaboration there? The mind is reeling.
Another amazing track on this debut album is “Dirty Blues”. You’d swear these guys have been playing together forever. Just a couple songs into Dirty Shirley and you’re thinking what an awesome EP it would make. But no. It’s a full LP. As much as you like the lyric video, trust me when I say you’ll be wanting for more!
With “I Disappear”, Dino reaches down into a whole new octave. Is there a note or range this Croatian can’t handle? The song is reminiscent of Disturbed or Shinedown. It’s that level of established excellence.
What would a full length metal album be without at least one love song? Enter “The Dying”. Again I’m just amazed at how polished Dirty Shirley is. You’d swear they’d been together for years? Per Dino’s confession (see interview) Lynch wasn’t even familiar with him when they first met. One must give thanks to Frontiers Music SRL for the introduction! That said, is it just me or is Frontiers signing some of the best bands in existence today?
“Last Man Standing” is just more support for a great debut album. It may not distinguish itself as a single, but certainly adds flare to the record. Not only does Dino sing, but he’s got some keyboard skills too. “Siren Song” appears to makes way for an offering of electric piano skills.
“The Voice of a Soul” brings a smooth, funky, jazzy sound. Lynch’s guitar simply sings. This song is very heavy on the instrumentals. But, who’s gonna complain about George having fun with this new project? I will say the song is long. So if they perform this song live they’re going to require some theatrics.
“Cold” may have been the first song on this debut where I just wasn’t feeling it. Not terrible. But, then they’ve set the bar extremely high already. Maybe I’ve gotten spoiled? I don’t sense this being a fan favorite, but it wouldn’t be a reason to disregard an otherwise 5 star effort.
With “Escalator to Purgatory” Dino once again showcases the full scale of his chops. Just some good old school sounding heavy metal. Somehow it’s reminiscent of the movie “Rock Star”, especially with the next track being “Higher”! I’m gonna make this plain. There maybe some voices in Rock N’ Roll and metal as good as Dino’s. Butt there are NONE better and you can take that to the bank. Lynch certainly showcases his status as one of the greatest of all time. I really really hope Lynch, Hunt, and Jelusic stay together for another couple albums. This is way too good to be cast a 1 hit wonder.
“Grand Master” is another one of my favorite songs. I specifically like how this was produced. It’s got a cool outlaw twang to it. Throw in some cigar box action and Will on the bongo. Dirty Shirley throws everything at you. This is a complete album that will not disappoint and leave you wanting for more!
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