Danko Jones - Rock and Roll is Black and Blue

Artist: Danko Jones
Title: Rock and Roll is Black and Blue
Genre: Hard Rock
Label: Bad Taste Records
Release Date: 10/9/2012

Danko Jones scares the hell out of me. I’m not intimidated by their huge riffs, pummeling beats or, mega machismo. I’m not put off by the trio’s bawdy imagery and absence of a ballad anywhere in their catalog. What does chill me; frightens me to the core, is that Danko Jones will eventually compromise. They’ll have their ‘Good Riddance' moment and see how profitable it is or just disappear all together after too much time spent under the radar. Since my first exposure to the band (We Sweat Blood), I’ve lived with the fear that Danko Jones will see the shark and just have to jump it. Well, Nancy Boy, take those worries, those petty concerns of yours, and cram them up your GRASS HOLE!

Danko Jones, the band, remains an unblinking, unbuckling, iron clad, rock and roll machine. Rock and Roll is Black and Blue is proof that loud guitars, scream along choruses, and a stubborn belief that hard rock still matters can get you to the top of the charts. Just kidding, those ingredients can only assure you of a small, yet rabid fan base, marathon touring, and a nearly Spinal Tap procession of drummers passing through your ranks. But you STILL will not find anything resembling compromise on Rock and Roll is Black and Blue.

Danko Jones, the man, is tuff rock’s modern Phil Lynott. He sings of carnal desires, street scenes, and staying true to one’s self. Jones’s howl and bark vocals could char steel. He, thundering bassist John Calabrese, and new drummer, Atom Willard have forged an epic here. Something in the DNA of this lineup have progressed and matured without losing the stank that keeps me hooked. Rock and Roll is Black and Blue stands tall with the best efforts of other current rockers like, ZO2, Mother Superior, and Foo Fighters while nodding (with a wink and a sneer) back at Thin Lizzy, Zeppelin, and Iggy Pop. It would be somewhat foolish to talk about individual tracks on this album; that might leave you expecting singles or radio cuts (fools!!). But if the Tao or Jones is to be captured in one killer track here it is the quintessential, ‘I Don’t Care’. Rock and Roll is Black and Blue is 14 tracks that are a bit over compressed sonically but guaranteed to make you punch something before the outro.

dave buzard