Album Review — Dirty Honey

Dirty Honey — Dirty Honey

Dirty Honey was my surprise band of 2019. Their 5 song EP was so good I ranked it at #6 for my top albums of that year. Needless to say I was pretty excited when I heard they were releasing their first full length record this month.

I was a little disappointed to see that their “full length” record is only eight songs and just 30 minutes. That’s really not enough for a full length record. And if they didn’t have any more songs they could have at least recorded new versions or even acoustic versions of the 5 EP tracks.

The band’s sound remains consistent with the EP. When I first reviewed the EP, I compared their sound to Led Zeppelin and the Black Crowes and those comparisons still hold up. They have that bluesy sound but there’s plenty of melody here.

The opening track, “California Dreamin’” is also the first single. It’s quite bluesy and sufficiently heavy for an opening track. The band has a really cool groove to them that really stands out.

“The Wire” continues the bluesy, groovy sound. The guitar riffs are really the central part of most of these songs. They are fairly straightforward and even familiar at times, but they form a solid foundation for each song.

“Tied Up” is next and continues the run. We get a little female backing vocals which add a nice layer and a bluesy feel. There isn’t a ton of variety on the record as it’s all very bluesy rock but there are subtle differences that come through.

“Take My Hand” offers another bluesy, riff-heavy track. I really like the bass playing on this record that stands out to me a little more than on the first record.

“Gypsy” is my favorite track on the record. It has a similar sound to the rest of the record in the verses but I really like the chorus and the little breakdown before the solo.

“No Warning” and “The Morning” continue the bluesy rock. I hear a little 70s Aerosmith and even a little early AC/DC as well.

“Another Last Time” closes out the record with a bluesy ballad. It’s actually one of the better tracks on the record and probably could have been placed in the middle of the record to break up the similarities of the rest of the album. I’d like to hear a little more of this kind of song as it reminds me of early Black Crowes.

At 30 minutes, the record is just too short. And it’s a lot of the same sound. That being said, I really do like the sound of the band and the songs are good. I’d like to see a little more variety because I think the band has more to offer.

I will take these eight songs and combine them with the five from the EP and make one playlist that will get a lot of play.

But as a stand alone record, I like it but not quite as much as the EP. Every track is good but there are 2–3 tracks on the EP that I like more than anything on this record.

It’s a tough record to put a number on as it’s hard not to compare to their fantastic debut.

85 out of 100

Track Listing

1. California Dreamin’
2. The Wire *
3. Tied Up
4. Take My Hand
5. Gypsy *
6. No Warning
7. The Morning
8. Another Last Time *

*Best Songs