Review: Dirty Shirley by Dirty Shirley

By Mike O’Cull

Dirty Shirley is an exciting new hard rock project that combines legendary guitarist George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob) with emerging Croatian rock star vocalist Dino Jelusic (Animal Drive). The band’s debut album, Dirty Shirley, comes out January 24th, 2020 on Frontiers Music and is expected to hit rock and metal fans right between the eyes and ears. Produced by Lynch and mixed by Alessandro Del Vecchio, Dirty Shirley is a rock and roll tour de force filled with the kind of songs and performances that set stadiums ablaze. The band taps into influences from the 70s to the 90s, bends them to its will, and forges an epic original sound that few modern acts can match.

George Lynch, a.k.a. Mr. Scary, is one of the most talented and well-known guitarists from the glory days of 80s rock. First coming to prominence with the band Dokken, Lynch is famous for his blistering chops and unending creativity. Vocalist Dino Jelusic is a newer face on the international rock scene but has quickly built a reputation as one of the best true rock singers working today. His voice has the staggering operatic power of Ronnie James Dio, overtones of classic blues/rock, and the kind of warm, organic timbre that makes microphones fall in love. Jelusic also displays an affinity for American-style hard rock that’s undeniable and he can put any flavor of the genre on blast. This makes teaming up with Lynch a brilliant move. Factor in Trevor Roxx on bass and Will Hunt on drums and you get a four-man squad that can take all comers.

“Here Comes The King” opens the record and immediately goes hard. Dirty Shirley throws down a heavy groove that creates the first of many “horns up” moments here and Jelusic uses it to launch his voice into the sky. He has a huge tone and a mighty vibrato that both demand respect and delivers his lyrics with emphasis and articulation. The track itself is nearly seven minutes long and veers from heavy to introspective and back again, showing us the depth and versatility this crew can summon. Lynch solos with exotic melodies and a velvet touch, building and reinventing his parts as he goes.

“Dirty Blues” kicks the energy up even higher and Lynch adds a cool blues/rock vibe to the verses that sets off the song’s dynamic chorus. It becomes evident pretty quickly that all four of the band members are real-deal rockers, not pretenders to the throne, and they effortlessly make the kind of music that will bring fans out to their shows. “The Dying” is moody, rainy-day metal with a bit of Queensryche to it that will entrance listeners with its mellow beginning before hitting its soaring chorus. Lynch adds some tasty nylon-string licks in the middle that also help to build the track’s atmosphere.

“Siren Song” is an urgent and emotional song mourning love that’s been lost that features Jelusic using his voice to communicate the pain of one of humankind’s most common yet terrible experiences. Lynch lays down a supremely melodic lead break that fits the song well and does it with more of a single-coil pickup sound than he usually employs. “Cold” drives its point home with a big drop-tuned guitar hook that lives somewhere between Hendrix and Tool. Jelusic is again mesmerizing on vocals and digs deep into his repertoire of phrases and tones. It takes a big voice to not be overwhelmed by a guitarist of Lynch’s caliber but Jelusic stands his ground and refuses to yield. The two of them are a monstrous combination of talents that is as good as any vocal and guitar team that’s ever made music. Dirty Shirley has what it takes to put world-class rock music back into mainstream circulation. Spin this once and you will believe.

Watch “Dirty Blues”

 
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