hair of the dog

Hair of the Dog - Rise (Spitfire) 1999

1.      Rise (2:46)
2.      Five to Nine (3:39)    
3.      Color Me Fire (4:37)    
4.      You Are the One (4:15)    
5.      Mokur Jahoobees (3:17)    
6.      I Can't Fight You (4:57)    
7.      Rescue Me (5:04)    
8.      Bum Jenkins (:43)
9.      Twice (3:05)     
10.    The Almighty Strut  (2:54)    
11.    Sometimes Is Enough (4:40)    
12.     Hammered (3:17)   
13.     I (5:34)

Imagine walking into a half-emptyh rock club on any given night and there is some local band on stage just killing it. That's sort of the vibe I heard when I first popped "Rise" into the CD player. The band has a mix of sounds, almost as if you can tell they paid their dues playing covers of 70's, 80's and 90's covers before realizing their dream of playing originals. The songs are all about wine, women and song. Having a drink and a good time with friends. Lyrics like "I tell the boss to kiss my ass, it's party time, have a drink or two and lose my mind", from "Five to Nine" bear out the overall feel of the album. Then there are the deeper cuts like "Mokur Jahoobees" which celebrates the wonders of the female breast and men's fascination with them. (How was that for PC?) "Glory be to the hills and the mountains flair, if you like them say 'yeah'..." Finishing things off with a tribute to Kiss with and obscure choice in "I" brings it all together. "Rise" isn't the greatest album ever recorded, but it is a solid slab of hard rock with a blue collar ethic. Hair Of The Dog play straight-forward, good-time rock 'n' roll.