The Dead Daisies – Holy Ground

THE DEAD DAISIES – HOLY GROUND

The first album from The Dead Daisies since Glenn Hughes joined them on vocals and bass, such a dramatic change of lead singer was always going to have a dramatic effect on the sound of the album. Glenn is such a force of nature this must always have been intended and, just as when he joined Deep Purple with David Coverdale he makes an immediate impact, not only with his inimitable singing style, but also because his influences from R n B still feed strongly into his bass playing and writing. After the announcement that Glenn had joined the Daisies we got a glimpse of what they were up to with ‘Righteous Days’ confirming that Glenn had managed to introduce his special brand of magic into the world of the Daisies.

In spring people were given a taste of further taste of what was going to be offer with single ‘Unspoken’. With it’s big riffs and traditional rock song structure and solos it was not too much of a shock from what had gone before. Certainly Glenn was death defyingly scaling the heights with his vocals, but Doug’s influence was strong and kept the connection with the previous Dead Daisies heritage.

In summer ‘The Lockdown Sessions EP’ was released with four stripped back live semi-acoustic tracks (none of which versions are on the album). With Deen on vocals for ‘Fortunate Son’ there was an element of keeping faith with the past, but even with Glenn on vocals on ‘Unspoken’, ‘Fortunate Son’ and ’30 Days In The Hole’ while it showed off how amazingly he can still sing it still held back on revealing just the level of new intensity possible with this line up.

In autumn ‘Bustle and Flow’ came out and it had more of the funky mark III Purple feel about it, although Doug still definitely still made his mark with his solos, we could see where they were headed. Now we have reached winter we have the latest single ‘Holy Ground’ and we are now well on the way to the Big Reveal. Glenn has to get his funk out and he’s shakin it for all to see. As a result there’s a commercial sensibility routed back in RnB, but it’s undoubtedly hard rock with Doug’s big chunky riffs underpinning it all.

I have now been lucky enough to hear the whole album due out in Spring. As well as the already released electric tracks mentioned above, there is an electric version of cover ‘Forty Days in the Hole’ with Deen providing the more Corabi rock n roll whiskey-laden exquisitely ragged vocal, although it’s fair to say that that cover is one of the only main links with the past. By and large the album shows that with Glenn at the helm the band have moved on into a more funky future. Vocal gymnastics and a less raw perhaps more polished way forward is visible to see. Tracks such as ‘Like No Other (bassline)’ have more in common with Glenn Hughes solo material than the big hard rock Americana anthems from the Corabi era. Even when Glenn gets into cave man mode with rockers like ‘Come Alive’ Glenn’s distinctive screams bring alive in the mind early 70s Purple rather than the more Credence Clearwater type influences where Daisies have dallied frequently in the past.

The consummate musicianship and talent are strikingly obvious on this album. I was rather hoping that, a bit like Mark III Purple had two vocalists, Corabi might jump back and do a double act with Glenn live as they undoubtedly are both amazing vocalists in their own way and they each bring a banquet of ability to the table with equally different and delicious flavours and spice. They are apparently good friends in real life. However, from the way the album is headed I think this is a new undoubtedly exciting direction for the Daisies and pastures new await.

Dawn Osborne