DIRTY HONEY - SIGNLE REVIEW
The collective band of John Notto (guitar), Marc LaBelle (vox), and Justin Smolian (bass), otherwise known as Dirty Honey, the blues-rock band from Los Angeles, is breaking barriers in the contemporary rock universe. From their ongoing tour with the esteemed Guns N Roses to their impending album ‘Can’t Find The Brakes’, the trio is one of high ambition. On October 18th, they released Coming Home (Ballad of the Shire), the second single off of ‘Can’t Find The Brakes’ (out November 3rd).
Right off the bat, I could tell this song was so much more than just another blues-rock piece. In general, the essence of Dirty Honey is usually that of high intensity, energy, and fire from all perspectives. But in this case, the group is venturing other places, exploring the universe of music that revolves around softer, more intimate tones. As described by frontman and vocalist Marc LaBelle, “Coming Home is a song about self reflection. The catalyst of the song was an instrumental piece that Justin had been playing and became a clear standout once Notto added some slide guitar on top of the track to give it a bluesier feel. Lyrically, the song came together quickly writing on the porch at the studio looking out into the hills above Byron Bay, Australia”.
The song is, as described earlier, more delicate in nature compared to the band’s typical work. It almost reminds me of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Going To California’, a monumental song that though graceful in sound, came from a hard rock band that was in no way fragile or dainty. This could mean revolutionary things for Dirty Honey. Up until this point, the group has been recognized as “the modern day Lynyrd Skynyrd with a CCR flair” for their twangy but hard styles (mostly due to Notto’s technique on the guitar paired with LaBelle’s Axl Rose-esque vocals) but Coming Home could serve as a turning point for their future works that dive into folkier realms yet to be explored by the three piece.
The fresh inclusion of poetic and introspective lyrics is also a factor that I cannot commend enough; again, it is a newer turn for the band in contrast to their previous works that mostly revolve around breakups and independence (lyrically) but I believe with time, we’ll find this era of Dirty Honey to be the best yet.