Scotland’s Nazareth is certainly entrenched deeply into the Classic Rock fans’ collective psyche with their hits “Hair Of The Dog” and “Love Hurts”. Simply say the name and scores of grizzled, bearded, half-drunk minions will raise their glasses and scream “Now you’re messin’ with a…a son-of-a-bitch!!!” in less than a nanosecond. The album those songs are on is no doubt a classic among classics in Rock History.

Historic significance aside, I doubt any of the people I just mentioned would even begin to recognize the band today. Not to say that The Newz is a bad album…it’s not. But it’s also not the abrasive Hard Rock of the old days either. What we have here is a fairly diverse album of Rock songs infused with touches of Blues, Funk & Pop depending on the song. “Enough Love” and “Day At The Beach” are very good Pop Rock songs with infectious hook lines all over. Opening cut “Goin’ Loco” sounds like a cross between Sly Stone and Led Zeppelin…a Funk-edged Rock tune. “Warning” is another in this vein, although a little heavier during the verses before some cool harmonies on the chorus. “See Me” is a nice little bluesy stomp number. “Gloria” brings back the near-ballad Pop edge…Aerosmith could make this song a hit today.

I guess what I’m saying is that The Newz is a good Rock album. Sure, it’s been 30+ years since their heyday. Yeah, only the vocalist & bassist remain from the original lineup (although original guitarist Manny Charlton tours with his own version of the band “featuring” himself). And, while this new album may get ignored by the Classic Rock radio market (as most new music by older bands is), it’ll give the fans who make the trek to their live shows some good, new music to crank up in the car. If you like solid, catchy Rock music then you should definitely check this out.

[Visit the band's website]

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