Page 44 - BiTS_07_JULY_2023

label and their third was to be produced by Ronnie Van Zant, but due to Lynyrd Skynrd’s fateful
air crash, the album failed to materialise. Because of an alcohol addiction gained from a
Rock’n’Roll lifestyle, Danny stepped away from the music business and embraced family life,
deciding to enter the restaurant business. Years after shedding his addiction he began playing
again and after a chance encounter with producer Jim Gaines he began recording again, with
Jim, in the producer’s chair, together delivering three albums.

On this new album, Jim is once again in the producer’s chair and Danny is on acoustic guitar
and lead vocals with Steve Potts on drums, Davy Dave Smith, bass, Will McFarlane, guitar,
Mark Narmore, piano and Rick Steff, organ. Horns are provided by Alan Branstetter, trumpet,
Brad Guin and Buddy Leach, baritone saxophones and other saxophones.

The ten original numbers, kick-off with ‘Everybody’, which is an inviting, soul inflected,
optimistic seventies swampy rocker. A combination of softly punching bass and percussion
laced with a lazy slide guitar that is very affecting. ‘Real Man’, is satisfying slice of slow burning
Southern Soul, with the bubbling B3 and heavenly gliding and rising horns, underpinning
Danny’s strongly pleading vocals.

The sombre ‘Didn’t Find My Blues’ continues the lazy, swampy rocking feel but, it is a sad tale
of someone searching for salvation in geographical locations, rather than the music they
inspired. ‘Goodbye Jack Daniels’, is a rollicking and rolling farewell to the dubious long term
effects of alcohol and white powder, it also points to the power of faith and the faith of will.
Two numbers that define Danny are ‘A Change Has Come’, in which he confirms his faith in a
slow burning gospel chorus-inflected ode to the fact he has survived his excesses and he also
declares—with the building ‘Made To Rock & Roll’— that his love of music is intact, and never
dimmed; quite possibly a showstopper.

Very satisfying!

Brian Harman.

The Desperados—Burnt Orange Michigan—Independent
Release

The Desperados UK are a three piece blues rock band based in
Cheltenham UK and “Burnt Orange Michigan” is their debut
album.

The album opens with a compère introducing the band that
leads into ‘Amplified’, a great rocker of a tune ,whilst ‘Lady Luck’
is a rocking twelve bar blues along the lines of Canned Heat’s
‘Let’s Work Together’. The title track ‘Burnt Orange Michigan’
opens with some fuzz bass and then adds some guitar doubling
effect, a great tune for the bikers and has the makings of a festival anthem, really liked this one.

‘Annabelle’ is more of a funky minor blues before the boys hit their straps, Dr Feelgood style,
with ‘Salt, Tequila and Lime’. ‘Beer, Blues and BBQ’ has great guitar riffs and distorted har-
monica which brought to mind Michael Burks ‘Miss Mercy’, there is even some Billy Gibbons
style talk over on this one too for good measure! The album closes with ‘…Something About
You Girl’ which is over eight minutes long, a slow burner with church bells and trumpet
sounds that morphs into a fast powerful bluesy outro somewhat like Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Free-
bird’.