Scotland's very own hard rock legends Nazareth are back with The Newz, easily their strongest album in quite some time, showing that 40 years into their existence they can still deliver their brand of crunchy boogie, heavy blues rock, and poppy folk. Still going strong are original members Dan McCaffery (man, can this guy still sing or what!) and bassist Pete Agnew, and they are joined here by guitarist Jimmy Murrison and drummer Ian Agnew. The Newz should go a long way in helping long time fans forget some of the poppy 80's and 90's releases, as there is some very strong material here. Gritty blues rock like "Goin' Loco" mixes in with the folky "Day At the Beach", the ballads "Enough Love" and "Gloria" (the latter would make a good radio single if modern radio bothered to play new music by veteran bands) and the stompin' heavy rock of "Liar", "Warning" and "Mean Streets". The band even toss in some great 70's styled hard rock anthems, such as "Road Trip" and "Keep on Travellin' ", perfect numbers to crank up in the car while you are cruisin around, McCafferty's screeching vocals perfectly playing off the meaty riffs of Murrison.
The Newz is a good indication that Nazareth plan on keeping the fires going for quite some time, and this release should please loyal fans who have followed this Scottish institution since the early days. Though there's perhaps two or three too many tunes here, which ultimately qualify as filler, the majority are quite good and stack up well alongside their classic material. Rumor has it that the band are set to embark on a North American tour here in 2009, so get set for the return of the Naz to a venue nearest you.
Track Listing
1. Goin' Loco
2. Day at the Beach
3. Liar
4. See Me
5. Enough Love
6. Warning
7. Mean Streets
8. Road Trip
9. Gloria
10. Keep on Travellin'
11. Loggin' On
12. The Gathering
13. Dying Breed
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