![\"\"](\"http:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/large.jpg\")
<\/a>Wow\u2026 I mean\u2026 just wow. This album is a wonderful and tremendous addition to a Dogs D\u2019amour discography that began with \u2018The State We\u2019re In\u2019 35 years ago. There will be those that may refuse to give this a chance, and that is really unfortunate for them. I would consider this the first proper album under the Dogs D\u2019amour name by Tyla, Gary, Matty, and Simon even though they have been recording together for several years now. This album is truly made to feel like a Dogs D\u2019amour album as opposed to a Tyla solo album or the Tyla J Pallas Band. It is not a secret that the last two new studio albums \u2018When Bastards Go to Hell\u2019 and \u2018Let Sleeping Dogs\u2019 were not everyone\u2019s cup of tea, a bottle of jack\u2026. or maybe I should now say bottle of red. Those albums really reflect a different moment in time where this feels much more like the follow up to \u2018Happy Ever After\u2019 in terms of style, sound, and approach. For me, this love affair started back at \u2018In the Dynamite Jet Saloon\u2019 which remains my favorite album of all time. The band was refreshing among the wave of hair metal bands that often blended together thanks to the other influences they incorporated such as the Stones, Faces, Hanoi Rocks, etc. Tyla\u2019s lyrics were much more relatable to people like me who would try our best only to find out that sometimes the bad guys win despite our best efforts. Albums such as \u2018Errol Flynn\u2019 and \u2018More Unchartered Heights of Disgrace\u2019 are part of my DNA at this point. Over the years, Tyla has released a tremendous number of solo albums and projects as well as a couple of albums with Spike from the Quireboys. There has always been a difference between that work and Dogs D\u2019amour albums which is partially where the lines got blurred in my mind on \u2018Let Sleeping Dogs\u2019 and \u2018When Bastards Go to Hell.\u2019 What we have here though is an album that has its very own identity but captures a true band effort and sounds like a Dogs D\u2019amour album\u2026. A damn awesome one too.<\/p>\nGetting the album started is a stomping version of \u2018111,\u2019 which will be familiar from Tyla\u2019s solo work. This version though packs more venom and punch. This is a great opener along the lines of \u2018Drunk Like Me\u2019 and \u2018What\u2019s Happening Here.\u2019 The guitars burn sharply in the mix with the outside production evident at the outset. The album transitions to the gorgeous \u2018Black Confetti.\u2019 The use of the saxophones here is perfectly placed, and the way they arrive after a brief pause at the beginning of the song is sublime. This is not your typical single by any Dogs D\u2019amour incarnation and all the better for it. This is an opportunity for these Dogs to flex some musical chops and create a magical moment. For those of us that pledged, we got to hear just a bit of the up-tempo \u2018Bloodline\u2019 that rocks in a similar manner to \u2018What You Do\u2019 and \u2018Lie in This Land.\u2019 The bass by Matty has some added pop in the mix which really stands out at the beginning of the song. Tyla sounds sensational here. He would never win on any of those reality singing shows, but his vocals have always been more about character, heart, soul, and distilled from the finest blend of rock n roll spirits. I will take that everytime. I really love the guitar solo here by Gary as well.<\/p>\n
\u2018Bottle of Red\u2019 stands out as a future standard in the live show where everyone is singing along at the top of their lungs. Lyrically, I would say that it is like the uplifting cousin of \u2018Satellite Kid\u2019 as the music creates much more of a \u2018Singin\u2019 vibe from \u2018Happy Ever After.\u2019 The band adds some awesome saxophone here which creates some additional depth in the music. A Tyla spoken word ad-lib at the end is another very nice touch. I should mention again here that the mix and production on this album is excellent and truly showcases how great these songs are. Since I am reviewing the vinyl version, the midtempo \u2018Everything to Me\u2019 represents the end of Side One. Matty\u2019s bass lines get a chance to stand out here as well as the tasteful guitar lines by Gary and Tyla. With a strong vocal hook carried by Tyla already in the chorus, the band adds some background \u2018ooh Sha la la\u2019s\u2019 for good measure. What really stands out is just how happy Tyla sounds as these two songs feel like celebrations. Something I have not mentioned is that this album steers clear of the traditional ballads and acoustic numbers. This is a rock album through and through.<\/p>\n
Flipping the record over, the uniquely titled \u2018Chicago Typewriter\u2019 begins with gunshots and sirens. Musically, this is a hard blues number driven incredibly well by Simon (drums) and Matty (bass) so that Gary and Tyla can add some great bluesy riffs to the mix which are complemented by a simple and highly addictive vocal hook. In some ways, this song recalls the best of where Tyla had gone on \u2018Let Sleeping Dogs\u2019 or \u2018When Bastards Go to Hell\u2019 but with a much more listener-friendly production style and mix. It provides a great rocking start to the second half of the record. The single in waiting \u2018I Don\u2019t Love Anyone\u2019 follows with its tasteful piano and saxophone sounding amazing in the mix. This song should come with a warning label or two as I can\u2019t help but find myself smiling when it plays and singing along. The loving message shows that even though good guys don\u2019t win all the time; they can win from time to time so let\u2019s take a few minutes to celebrate finding the love of our lives while we can. Up next is the title track \u2018In Vino Veritas\u2019 where the band brings in some more tasteful saxophone as Tyla tells us a tale as only he can. This is one song where I do wonder if these gentlemen revisiting Tyla\u2019s \u2018Nocturnal Nomad\u2019 album recently added some new ingredients that had never really been on a Dogs\u2019 record in the past. Lyrically, this song feels more like the characters and stories from that album as opposed to the characters we met in \u2018Hurricane\u2019 or \u2018Baby Glass.\u2019<\/p>\n
As we approach the end of the vinyl version, \u2018Monster\u2019 slithers and struts out on a biting sustained blues riff. Over the course of these songs, the band really explores multiple musical avenues and back alleys with \u2018Monster\u2019 creating an awesome groove with added harmonica and organ. I love the guitar riffs and licks throughout this one with it becoming more and more of a favorite with multiple listens with a wonderful howl added at the end for good measure. \u2018Movie Star\u2019 serves as an epic finale that brings everything together over the course of its nearly 5 minutes. There are multiple vocal hooks that can kill at a long distance, great guitar work, rocking piano, and a great beat. The extended musical outro is not to be missed as the song eventually slows down for one last vocal before we hear the arm raise and the vinyl come to a stop.<\/p>\n
Some people may approach this album with reservations, but I would urge you to check them at the door. This album exceeds every expectation I had and makes me hope that we don\u2019t have to wait too long before we get a follow up from these guys based on how awesome this is. Tyla\u2019s Dogs D\u2019amour acknowledge the long history of the Dogs in many ways but more importantly, add to the band\u2019s magical history with an album that can stand proudly with every record from their past. With two additional songs \u2018Empire\u2019 and \u2018Fuck Off Devil\u2019 added to the CD and download versions of the album, there really is no reason to not check out this album. Quite simply, this is a magical record.<\/p>\n
\u2018In Vino Veritas\u2019 is unleashed November 16th<\/sup><\/p>\n