Country 'N West Ten is the seventh album by The Dirty Strangers in the 48 years since Alan Clayton started the band. They have gone Country blues rock this time with the Dirty Strangers this time comprising of Alan Clayton, Laurence Fox, Mickey Gallagher, John Rollason, John Proctor, Guy Griffin, Brian James, Charlie Hart, Scott Mulvey, Marnie Rollason, Nina Walsh, Danny Fury, Paul Clayton and Cliff Wright. Produced by Alan Clayton at WestOneTwo studios
The album opens with Learning To Be Legal a slow bruised song for finally getting you act together and onto the right side of the law for once. When you've lived most of your adult life on the edges, this is harder than it seems, Alan’s not certain he really wants to cross over, the country blues guitars and tambourine egging him on.
Turn The Tide acknowledges Alan's move to the south coast, with some good juke joint piano ready to cut him down to size, if he doesn't pay attention to the dangers of a turning tide, a great Johnny Be Goode style guitar solo seeing right through all your snakeskin alibi's.
If You Won't Leave Me I'll Find Someone Who Will (Acoustic) is the scoundrels charter set to a folk strum, full of the incredulity that you still stick around, no matter how bad things have got, the house is lost, he's nicked all your cash, to pay the man off, down hearted guitar trying to apologize, before he goes and does it all again, while finding new ways to stab you in the back on the QT, like a south coast George Jones.
Pirates Don't Get Pensions has been a live favourite for a couple of years now, but it never sounded quite as down home, full of fiddles and heartfelt backing vocals helping regrets, for having lived life on the edge, he still needs looking after in old age, because he never found a ducker and divers pension plan, taking his country blues away.
Shtum is an essential survival skill in the circles Alan moved in, he'll be like a brick wall, rather than spill the beans and drop anyone in it, countrypolitan guitar with smashed plates cymbals for the things never to be said in the basement at Bow Street.
Diamonds reworks one of the Dirty Strangers most loved songs, into a slow maudlin tearjerker, shimmering fiddle, tinkled ivories full of pain and regret, sorrow and pain, played like it's 4 in the morning you've finished the whiskey and finally realize it’s all over now.
Weekend Treat (Ft Ronnie Lane) was found on an old cassette of a tune Mickey Gallagher wrote with Ronnie Lane for the Dirties over 40 years ago, Now with Charlie Hart's fiddle and Al telling us about his first weekend with his wife Jackie, slow thoughtful memories of a Weekend Treat or two, with magical fiddles and guitar, that bucolic Slim Chance bonhomie, how to waste a weekend singing and carousing, all the things you can get up to on the Weekend.
One of the singles off the album Get Wild is more Louche Rock & Roll with that stones twist, they are going to go on the rampage again, forget normal life, go on Get Wild like you mean it. Nothing Doing is bucking guitars from the West Wittering bayou's, they need to hit the road, get going away from this place, more confessions of the never-ending road itch, need for more schemes and dreams.
Love For Live he's a life lover you'll see, slow neo-zydeco blues, urging us all to grab life by the balls and go for it, slow whispered late-night advice to stay out of prison, while getting as close to the edge and go for life.
If You Won't Leave Me, I'll Find Someone Who Will (Full Band Version) like Balham Alligators southern country honky tonk accordions blues, apologies and disbelief you still believe in him, despite all his egregious behaviour, what a cad he's been to you.
The bands Xmas song Turkey Bone was the first single from the album, perfect for gathering round the fireplace with your eggnog while Charlies accordion and slide guitars serenade us, they are not having fun in the halfway house this Xmas, because he's glued to his phone again.
The album closes with a new old version of Shepherds Bush City Limits rumbling at 60 on the Westway with bad intent, Scott Mulvey's badass, dirty organ pushing Brian James grit fuelled guitar, a barrelling gang on the run, like they've been hanging out on the Uxbridge Road all day again getting up to all sorts.
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