Review: Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs – Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits
Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs – Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits
Format: CD – Vinyl LP – Digital / Label: BMG
Release: 2024
Text: Tom Wouters
We all know Mike Campbell as the guitarist of the incomparable Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. After the rather sudden death of Petty in 2017, Campbell founded his own band The Dirty Knobs and the third album of Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs is now in the (virtual) store.
And just like the previous albums, ‘Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits’ sounds very Petty-esque. Campbell, like his former boss, writes complete, melodic, straight forward rock and roll songs.
Curiously, the album opens with a song (The Greatest) that sounds like an encore at a concert (including mixed-in audience), something that is repeated at the end of the album with Amanda Lynn, a thankfully short mandolin instrumental, including fake audience. I have not been able to figure out the deeper thought behind this, but Campbell can be forgiven, because in between there are nine rock and roll songs that are very adequately performed by Campbell and his band (Chris Holt, guitar, Lance Morrison, bass and Steve Ferrone, drums).
As mentioned, the sound of the songs is very reminiscent of the sound of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, but that only shows how big the influence of guitarist and songwriter Mike Campbell was on Petty’s sound.
The most beautiful songs on the album are Dare To Dream, with Graham Nash on backing vocals, the beautiful ballad Hands Are Tied and the country-like Hell Or Highwater, which is listed as a vocal duet by Campbell with Lucinda Williams, but is somewhat disappointing when it turns out that Williams’ vocal contribution is mixed a bit too far back.
Things fare better in this respect for country weeper Chris Stapleton, who takes care of the lead vocals in Don’t Wait Up, a solid rock song with ex-Heartbreaker Benmont Tench on (boogie woogie) piano.
‘Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits’ is an album with beautiful straight forward rock and roll songs by Mike Campbell, in which the spirit of Tom Petty is never far away.
Tracks:
01. The Greatest
02. Angel of Mercy
03. Dare to Dream (feat. Graham Nash)
04. Hands Are Tied
05. Hell Or High Water (feat. Lucinda Williams)
06. So Alive
07. Shake These Blues
08. Innocent Man
09. Don’t Wait Up (feat. Chris Stapleton & Benmont Tench)
10. My Old Friends
11. Amanda Lynn
Website: https://www.thedirtyknobs.com/