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With The Newz the Scottish rockers Nazareth are presenting a new studio album finally. In 1998 they released Boogaloo and went on tour. During the 1999 US tour original drummer Darren Sweet died of a heart attack and the future of Nazareth were at stake. Luckily Pete Agnew's son Lee joint them and so they kept going on. Now the band is presenting a new studio album, but they haven't been lazy through all this years! The Scottish been on tour several months a year. And The Newz shows that Dan McCafferty and his mates don't think about retirement!
They kicking off with Goin' Loco, a song which is a bit different to what we know from them, but a cool boogie rocker. And with Day At The Beach they return to their style and this one might be another tune which soon can be found at some samplers... And again it's the raspy voice of Dan McCafferty which makes the song special... give the song it's character. Quite heavy, metal-like they get with Liar! Sharp riffs and pounding drums, anybody expected to hear a real metal tune? Well, at least they surprised me with that, but the tune still has some bluesy vibes. This song is fascinating, but needs a few spins to really hook you up! And again they change.... See Me is an almost happy rocker with acoustic guitar - and catchy. This hooks you up! And you soon will sing along! Another heavy one is Warning which is another riff-based rocker while Mean Street is more boogie-based. If I would hear Road Trip at some bar I wouldn't think of Nazareth, even if it has McCafferty's typical vocals, but it's no what you expect. This is a kind of speedy rocker with heavy, fat riffs and some slide guitar solo part. What a cool tune! A Nazareth album without a ballad? No way! And with Gloria you get some touching ballad. One of my favorite songs is Loggin' On which hooked me up right away and so I recommend this song as well as Road Trip, See Me, Dying Breed and The Gathering.
Nazareth stick to their guns, but also have some surprises for the listener. Their sound is somehow old-fashioned which fits to their music, but also modern in the way of the recording quality. They took the best of both worlds and achieved a warm, crystal clear sound - thanks to producer Yann Rouiller.
The Newz is a bold statement of the Scottish rock dinosaurs that they are still alive and kicking in the 40th year of Nazareth!
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