dirtboyJohnny and friends

Dirtboys - 2007By Nathan HarperThere’s a soulful sound to 2007 that is the foundation of the album, a sort of blues/reggae rock that sounds inspired by everything from Spearhead and Ben Harper to Sublime, and for most of the album principal singer/songwriter/arranger JP Hodge pays convincing enough tribute to those styles to make it sound good. A self-styled blue-collar balladeer, Hodge’s lyrics tackle the war, government encroachment on our civil liberties and the need for some good lovin’, all with necessary conviction. His voice’s interplay with the album’s mostly acoustic/undistorted guitars evokes a feeling of righteous indignation at times, but the anger can simmer down to a feeling of summer fun when it needs to.The album is so much in the groove that the few times Hodge and company depart from their soulful sound, such as the punkish “Willpowertripper” or the Americana inspired “Middle Creek Road,” the listener is taken aback, not because they’re bad songs - Hodge seems adept at hopping genres - but because once the album starts rolling, it carves out a such a consistent niche that the listener begins to feel at home in it.Hodge has some help on the record, much of it from the people who flesh out the band when they play live, and, if his vocal chops translate well onto the stage, it’s live where the band should sound best. Given local musical tastes and this record’s grooves, 2007 could mark the beginning of a fruitful relationship between Northern Colorado music lovers and the Dirtboys.