The Struts – Young & Dangerous

The Struts – Young & Dangerous
Album Review by Mark Loraine

This is the second outing for The Struts, third if you count the original release of their debut LP, “Everybody Wants”. Since that release they have spent most of their time flogging themselves around the US, mostly as support for the Foo Fighters. In that time they have become a unit that has a very polished and distinctive sound and it certainly shows on this album.

The first outing for The Struts was, as they were at the time, very raw and typically encompassed their amazing live presence. This album is different, but not in a bad way. The fact that these guys are focusing on the US market becomes very obvious in the production and style of the of tracks on offer. Think perhaps a more camp, Luke Spiller does camp very well, version of Bon Jovi and you will be on the right track. There is no doubt that the song writing and performance is incredibly well put together and in songs like “Body Talks” has a pretty much tongue in cheek observant quality. This actually continues throughout the rest of the tracks. These guys see life in a certain way and portray it well, very well in fact.

Musically the base behind Spiller’s incredible vocal talents is solid and incredibly driving. Adam Slack on guitar still drives the onslaught and along with Geth on drums and Jed on bass, provide a perfect foil for Luke’s lavish performance. In terms of the performance and style of Luke Spiller there is an obvious elephant in the room. Yes he does look and perform like a re-invented Freddie Mercury, but he does it in his own inimitable style and he does it in a way that fits so well with the feel of this album and this band as a whole. Perhaps a great example of this Freddy presence is in the track “Somebody New” here Spiller provides a softer, more moving performance. For some of Freddie’s high camp, listen to “Tatler Magazine” Spot on !

Young and Dangerous is as mentioned previously a product aimed at the punching the US market square between the eyes, but this does not mean it should exclude Struts fans on this side of the pond either. They still have the inimitable style that we knew as we saw them coming up in the UK, its just as good and its where this band should be at this time in their career.

The album concludes with a second version of the opening track, “Body Talks” this time with Kesha guesting as second vocalist and again this tilts your view to where The Struts are now. The track actually works very well and the pairing of Kesha with Luke is perhaps a match made in heaven, we will see!

In conclusion, this album is perfectly formed and packaged ready for Struts fans old and new. The old relishing the next level of the Struts career, the new loving the accessible nature of this heavy rock offering. No doubt this is aimed at taking The Struts to a new level and I reckon it’s just the offering to do just that.

Track Listing:

1. Body Talks
2. Primadonna Like Me
3. In Love With a Camera
4. Bulletproof Baby
5. Who Am I?
6. People
7. Fire (Part 1)
8. Somebody Knew
9. Tatler Magazine
10. I Do It So Well
11. Freak Like You
12. Ashes (Part 2)
13. Body Talks (Featuring Kesha)

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Review by Mark Loraine