Inglorious

There is something about Inglorious that makes them irresistible.
They are trashy, brash, unashamed and classic hard rockers. What they are not is girls/ladies/chicks and this album is a series of covers of songs made famous by the non-Y half of the world. And it really is some bloody good listening too.

The current lineup of Nathan James – Lead Vocals, Danny De La Cruz – Guitar, Dan Stevens – Guitar, Vinnie Colla – Bass Guitar, Phil Beaver – Drums/Percussion has been together for a few years now and you can hear the gelling of them into a real band. Riffs pour out of the twin guitar lead, James vocals have real power and soul as well as a great scream and Vinnie & Phil drive the music seamlessly with everything spotting perfectly into place.

It takes real chutzpah to cover such classics as Heart’s ‘Barracuda’ or Tina Turner’s ‘Nutbush City Limits’ but they bring something original to both of them while staying true to the originals. Nathan’s vocals don’t have the sassiness of Tina Turner or the heartfelt anger of Ann Wilson but he brings a very modern and 21st Century presentation while both numbers benefit from a harder rock treatment than their originals.

Joan Jett’s ‘Hate Myself For Loving You’ loses some of the original’s funk and sleaze but adds a classic rock sense of power while Halestorm’s ‘I Am The Fire’ is massive, really doing justice to the original but adding a strong Inglorious identity.

The real surprise, to me, is Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time After Time’ showing just how sensitive Nathan James singing can be and how effective Danny & Dan are on acoustic. The track here that most transcends the original.

A fine album, good listening and showing a strong side of Inglorious that we didn’t know existed.