Dan Baird and Homemade Sin - Dan Baird and Homemade Sin

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 26 / 10 / 2008

---

Review

Dan Baird will need no introduction to many rock and roll fans ; being part of major 80's band Georgia Satellites who had a number of hit singles and albums he went on to have a successful solo career when that band folded. After joining what was an ‘alternative supergroup’ going by the name of the Yayhoos who released two albums Dan formed the original Homemade Sin with Ken McMahan on guitar and long-time band buddies Keith Christopher and Mauro Magellan on bass and drums respectively. Ken McMahan left Homemade Sin a couple of years back to be replaced by Warner E. Hodges, ( Jason And The Scorchers) who released his own album earlier this year ‘Centreline’ which Baird had a major hand in and which is well worth a listen. But although it would take a fool to deny that Hodges is an excellent guitarist it would seem that this Homemade Sin album has the edge over ‘Centreline’. Both albums, of course, follow much the same musical path. Good old fashioned rock and roll, played loud and dirty. It’s good-time Friday night music; music to sing along to and if it means sinking a few beers or takes a little bourbon before we can sing along, well, that’s all the better isn’t it? Baird has stuck close to what he knows and what he knows he is good at on this collection of fourteen ( yep, fourteen of the turbo-charged things, all riff heavy, catchy as hell slices of high-octane rock and roll) songs. The whole album lasts for over an hour and not once do you get the feeling you are listening to anything other than first-class ass-kicking rock and roll, there is absolutely no filler at all, not even at over 60 plus minutes. To list separate songs is pointless, anyone familiar with the music of Baird is going to know what to expect and for those yet to discover the former Georgia Satellite well, I’ve mentioned rock and roll a number of times so far haven’t I? Where the beauty lies in Baird’s work is that while many bands are out on the road playing this type of music nightly Baird has the experience to never lose sight of a melody and by surrounding himself with musicians of the calibre of Hodges and his rhythm section he can’t really fail. By slowing things down occasionally (just slightly of course) on songs like ‘Lazy Monday’ Baird keeps you interested even if you are not using the album to soundtrack your latest party. This won’t be the best selling album that Baird has ever made but it’s certainly one of the best he has made. All the Stones and Faces comparisons that are thrown at him are, in the present day at least, far off the mark. It’s been more than a good few years that any Stones album has had this affect on me and as for the Faces, well give me Warner over Wood any day. Rock and roll albums of this class are few and far between these days, in fact I didn’t even have great expectations for this collection but I was surprised just how good it is, if I had to choose just one album of this genre this year this would be the one. One to be played and played…

Track Listing:-

1 Damn Thing to Be Done
2 Crooked Smile
3 Two for Tuesday
4 Runnin' Outta Time
5 Just Can't Wait
6 Lazy Monday
7 Cryin' to Me
8 I Know What It's Like
9 She Dug Me Up
10 Well Enough Alone
11 Champagne Sparkle
12 I Can Do Without You
13 Oh No, There She Goes
14 Hellzapoppin'