Rock Music doesn’t get much of a look in these days, because there is seemingly a culture of the way that the music is being made today that ignores it. Rarely does the idea of guitars and drums excite people anymore in the 21st century. This album was the product of around 20 years of gestation of music by Mike Campbell. This is a collection of music, which also features a song with Country Music legend Chris Stapleton. The album was produced by Mike Campbell and George Drakoulias, and was released on 20 November 2020. The Dirty Knobs are: Mike Campbell (lead guitar and vocals); Matt Laug (drums and percussion); Lance Morrison (bass guitar) and Jason Sinay (guitars and vocals). The album itself received mainly positive reviews. Let’s take a listen to this album and we shall hear how it sounds.

1. Wreckless Abandon begins with some eastern-sounding reversed guitars, and sounds really great. Some tremolo stutter effects are present as well, and this sounds unlike anything else. Soon enough, guitars get going into this impressive and upbeat-sounding piece of music. This sounds really cool and enters into a sweet melodic tune. Some whiskey-soaked Southern Rock vocals are present on this tune, and this is obviously Country tinged. It does sound really fantastic throughout and just sounds really awesomely monumental. A really cool tune with a whole Country Music vibe throughout. The lyrics are fantastic throughout, and the music is monumentally powerful. A song about the regrets that life can bring and has some rather often quoted phrases throughout. This sounds very awesome, all the same. An organ solo, followed by a guitar solo that sounds like nicely overdriven Fender guitars are present here. An effective and enjoyable listen. There is a nice solo section in the second half, which sounds cool before the singing resumes. A great mash-up of Rock, Southern Music and Country vibes into a song that is perfect for drug addicts or alcoholics. Nonetheless, this does sound really cool. The outro has some awesome guitars and sounds to match. Very sweet, and something one can easily dig nicely. Good to hear. The outro has some reversed guitars, which sound very George Harrison-styled.

2. Pistol Packin’ Mama (feat. Chris Stapleton) is a Fender Telecaster-driven piece that sounds a lot like The Rolling Stones Honky Tonk Woman. It is a hilarious, out there and joyous tune that sounds extremely cool to listen to. A very sweet and awesome listen throughout which has some cool vibes and sweet singing from Chris Stapleton, along with the rest of the group. A truly wonderful listen, and something that is hugely underrated as a tune. Worthy of a serious listen, this sounds really wacky and excellent. Real cowboys will know exactly what this tune is about. A cool, out there and quirky listen, this is a tune that sounds really great to hear. This does sound really powerful and fantastic throughout, with some sweet and melodic sounding parts of music throughout. A glorious and sleazy tune to listen to. The guitar playing is minimal yet fantastic throughout and just sounds really quirky and articulate. A very nice tune throughout. Worth every second of listening here. A really fantastic listening experience with many twists and turns throughout, especially lyrically. The outro is solidly cool.

3. Sugar begins with some raunchy and out there Rock guitars, and sounds extremely cool. This continues the awesome flavour of this album, and it sounds out there and raw and melodic musically. A really cool tune to listen to, this sounds like a really awesome ode to one’s partner. A sensational listening experience that sounds very sweet and awesome, this is exactly what being a womaniser for a male is about. Really cool and great, this is the sort of music that is a direct middle finger to the likes of Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter. It sounds male, macho and horny throughout. The guitar solo throughout is equally as good, and it sounds really cool to hear. A really out-there and sexual tune that the likes of AC/DC can relate to. It sounds fantastic. There is a dirty bass guitar section, which sounds really cool, and also has whispered vocals and muted guitars. A scream emerges, and this tune sounds really great. A cool and sexual tune, with a wailing guitar solo to conclude with. Angus Young should hear this right now. A fantastic listen, once again.

4. Southern Boy begins with a drum shuffle section, like the Hoodoo Gurus. It sounds sweet. It quickly launches into an awesome, Southern Rock-styled tune that has some great sounds and energy throughout. An extremely cool and interesting listening experience about travelling down South (in USA terms, of course). This song is really cool, and these guys sound absolutely fantastic throughout. A supercharged and explicit tune with some serious musical power to it all, this is a winner. A fantastic and smooth listen with raunchy, Fender guitars throughout. The midsection is a bit quieter with some sweet slide guitar soloing, and it sounds obliteratingly great. If anything, this is genuine proof that Rock and Roll is not dead, and never will die, contrary to popular opinion. The music throughout is a sensational winner of a listen and is a nod to the traditional spirit of Rock Music at hand. A very, very cool listen throughout. This is quite clearly awesome to hear. There are more odd slide guitars at the end of this song before it returns to the drum shuffle section before concluding. Nice.

5. I Still Love You begins with some dramatic Fender Telecasters and odd tunings, before entering into a sensationally great tune which is about breaking up with a lover. This song sounds really cool and interesting and is a sad reflection of losing the love of one’s life. This music is really anthemic and great, and it is a flashback to the situation of being heartbroken in one’s love life for the first time, set to music. A sad reflection of what was according to these guys, and a moody, driven song to listen to. This has a great deal of musical suspense throughout and sounds absolutely killer. Very, very cool to hear, although highly bleak to listen to. The guitar solo sounds moody and lost, keeping with the theme of the song. If you ever feel down and out, this is your tune to hear. A really refreshing and interesting listen throughout, this is a monumental Rock ballad that sounds moody and deep. Definitely worth a listen today, although this is not a happy song. Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs (hilarious band name, by the way) make for some unreal and accurate music to sum up human emotions. Very cool, and very deep to listen to. A winner in the book of broken-hearted blues. The guitar at the end is insane.

6. Irish Girl is a bit Ed Sheeran-based here. Think the Southern Rock version of Galway Girl, and you are there, complete with harmonica throughout. A very sweet listen from the start, and it has some Country fried and symphonic melodies throughout. In fact, this could easily be about Ed Sheeran’s lover as well, although indirectly. A moody and really great listen, this sounds supercharged and really sweet to listen to. Cool, crafty and joyous to listen to, although with some melancholy and likely alcohol-influenced lyricism throughout. A Nine Inch Nails-styled phrase: “Nothing can stop you now” is repeated here. There is also a sweet string section in the background. Very intelligent Rock Music. A super lovely tune, this is a pretty and expertly delivered tune that sounds extremely cool. A wonderful tune to hear, and a ballad that is very moving. A cool and smooth listen throughout. Nice and lovely.

7. Fuck That Guy begins with some processed drum beats, and sounds very weird with slide guitar. It launches into a solidly cool tune which sounds a lot like a Country-styled slide guitar piece with attitude. It’s about a dude who dresses up like a lady to impress women, which from the straight man’s perspective, is very odd, alongside other characters. A quirky and interesting listen throughout which has attitude and a musical flavour that sounds extremely cool. The slide guitar in this song is really cool to listen to. A really nicely driven and sensational listen about the men that one can be peeved off at, with explicit lyrics and a chorus that is memorable. Kid Rock would dig this song. Worth a listen throughout. Nice to hear.

8. Don’t Knock The Boogie is a seven-minute-long piece that begins with some low-down and Bluesy guitar. It sounds superb and launches into a 4/4 beat and some straightforward lyrics to listen to. A very, very cool tune that sounds like a great representation of what the electric guitar can do on a record. A great song that references John Lee Hooker, and sounds really amazing. Fresh, fun and sweet, this is a cool tune. An ode to the real Rock groovemakers and shakers out there. This is a really different and out-there listen, this is a sweet song about meeting a lady who digs the music there. A fantastic story of music, womanising and a fantastic piece of music that erupts into action in the midsection with an incredibly cool guitar solo and band section from Mike Campbell and his bandmates. An awesome song, neither overly flashy nor over the top. It just rocks very, very well. A great, dirty down south Southern Rock boogie that sounds absolutely awesome to listen to. Very cool and this demands shades in the desert sun to be worn. A cool tune with a slide guitar solo and a massive drum section to boot. It goes back down into the verses, with some sweet guitar playing and music to match. A really driven and fine song, there is a harmonica solo to wrap things up very nicely on this song. Worth every moment.

9. Don’t Wait begins with a bunch of woman-tone-styled Led Zeppelin riffs, launching into an awesome and punchy Rock Music-styled song, with some interesting backward guitars in the background. This song sounds very Lennonesque and is a sensationally good listening experience throughout. This music has a decent and melodic flavour to it all and sounds really smooth and solid. A bit slow for a song, but that is intentionally so. This song is again about loving and womanizing, which isn’t going to appeal to all listeners. Still, its Rock guitars sound totally sweet and joyous to listen to. Some intricate drumming is present in this song as well. A really superb and powerful listen as the guitar solo kicks in, this does sound really very wonderful in a musical way. Sweet, powerful and sensationally good, this is a winner. Worth your ears. There is an organ solo in the second half which sounds really cool and great. The music and playing throughout are really cool, and it sounds like Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs want to be your dirty-loving man. A cool song to listen to. This ends with some hollering and guitar solos to boot. Nice.

10. Anna Lee begins with some sweet acoustic guitar and launches into a gorgeous love-based ballad that sounds super sweet with some reassuring singing throughout. This music is bang on the money, and it sounds extremely cool to listen to. A really sweet and lovely tune to hear, this sounds extremely cool and great to hear. The music throughout is really cool and makes a change from the loud, noisy Rock Music of the majority of this album. Brushed percussion is present as well. A lovely and powerful tune, this sounds extremely driven and cool as a tune. This is the sort of music that would have been huge in the 1960s or the 1970s but is frequently neglected today instead. This does sound extremely good for what it is, however. A mellow tune with a clean, Fender Telecaster slide guitar solo at the end. Very beautiful to listen to, and proves that these guys did indeed have some variety in them. Wonderful.

11. Aw Honey begins with some loud and dirty electric guitars, launching into a mellow and cool tune about issues surrounding lovemaking. A really awesome and punchy tune that sounds classy, mellow and interesting musically, but is full of anger lyrically, this is a good listen. There are harmonicas and boogie-woogie-styled piano throughout as well. A really good song about a deceptive lady at heart, this does sound really worthwhile listening to, and interesting as well. An interesting song that has class and energy throughout, this sounds really awesome. One for the partners that one has who is a gold digger. Good tune though.

12. Loaded Gun begins with some crunchy guitars, and enters into an awesome song. The guitar riffs throughout are insanely good, and this song is about Southern Rock exploits, set to low-down and dirty Rock Music. It sounds, again, a lot like AC/DC and is exactly the sort of music one could imagine a postmodern reincarnated Bon Scott could sing and move to. A really dirty and driven tune that sounds really tuneful and interesting. These guys were likely into sex, drugs and Rock and Roll at the time of recording. A flanger-heavy guitar launches into a sensationally good guitar solo at hand, and this sounds absurdly good. A really cool and enlightened-sounding piece of music and musicianship. Worth a solid listen throughout. The guitars sound ridiculously good throughout. The outro has some mean guitar solos being played and it sounds really fine and fantastic. A worthy listen.

13. Don’t Knock The Boogie (Coda) is the final track, and it has acoustic slide guitar galore. It is a neat pastiche of the earlier song. It then has some acoustic guitar playing that sounds great, and some murmured vocals over the top. A wonderful listen for the one-minute-long piece that this is.

This is a very good album that, warts and all, carries the spirit of Rock and Roll Music into the 21st century. Having said that, although this is well produced, mixed, played and performed, it isn’t overly original in many musical aspects. Still, one is hard-pressed to find a decent Rock Music album with Southern Rock influences and a Country-fried feel to it like this today. Should you listen to this album? If you love a more traditional Rock Music listen, go ahead. EDM fans will hate this, however.

Worth hearing, even for its overt masculinity.

8/10