Born a Lion

Album Review

OK, let's be clear: You have to check your political correctness at the door when you listen to this one. Danko Jones has swapped damaged high-test soul music for a more blues-oriented rock sound, and with that change comes a more upfront pose, especially about bad women, bad love, and bad attitude. It's certainly a more polished and confident sound out of the Toronto trio, but it's a bit of a disappointment for listeners expecting the slightly more original sound found on the band's two EPs. Instead, the band's first full-length album offers up a loud guitar rifforama far more reminiscent of AC/DC or Soundgarden (perhaps this sound was the natural outcome of the time the band spent touring Europe and hanging out in Sweden — there's certainly more of a kinship now with a band like Hellacopters than any touchstone from beforehand). That's not to say the release is bad by any means. It rocks like hell, and even if sentiments like "if you wanna know how to play the blues, get yourself a woman" seem retrogressive, they're balanced off by sly nods to the Temptations, a shout-out to everyone regardless of their skin color ("Caramel City"), and the sheer rock & roll passion throughout the whole album. As a special bonus, the CD comes with an enhanced multimedia portion with a video for the "Sound of Love" single, as well as two hidden tracks.