BLACK STAR RIDERS pleased us with their last album “Wrong Side Of Paradise”, arguably one of the best from this rocking band. But BSR also released a ‘Special Edition’ digipak with a different (and better) cover art, available only from their record label store.
And there’s more; BLACK STAR RIDERS presents a non album track from the same recording sessions as extra bonus. All these bonus tracks are very good, and really worth having this “Wrong Side Of Paradise [Special Edition]“.
They say that first impressions last and that you never get another chance to make one so don’t blame me if you immediately fall for the opening title track, a riff rocker with a huge chunky guitar and thrusting bassline that make you want to get up out of that seat and rock out. It’s a song that has one of those choruses that you immediately connect with.
Next up ‘Hustle’ is thicker and has some wonderful harp, which after that opener is the perfect track to throw you off the scent if you were expecting a mere repeat of past glories. A dozen listens in it still intrigues me and is a firm favourite. ‘Better Than Saturday Night’ is pure Thin Lizzy, and glorious it is to. A corker of a song and a real nod to the ten years of the band that of course coalesced into the BSR from the Thin Lizzy live band.
‘Riding Out The Storm’ is lighter and more mid-paced with elements of bands like Big Country in the mix and lyrics that deal with depression. It’s a helluva song and seems closer to singer Ricky Warwick solo material than Thin Lizzy.
And ‘Pay Dirt’ (co-written with the late great Todd Youth) starts with a real rock and roll riff that stomps itself into a whirling hard rocker, driven by drums and adorned by Warwick’s vocal and self-referential lyric.
And the winners keep coming. ‘Catch Yourself On’ is a wonderful piece of music, light and stuttering, it defies genres as it looks at the blight of social media. Ricky Warwick comments: ”Catch Yourself On is a phrase often used in my home country of Northern Ireland, it’s used to tell someone to ‘stop being ridiculous’ or ‘to get real’. We’re sadly becoming slaves to technology and social media (guilty as charged). We don’t think twice about sharing our inner most feelings and thoughts with a world of strangers. We seem to be losing the ability to think for ourselves. Technology is controlling us, instead we should be controlling technology. It feels like it’s already surpassing human interaction.”
What you probably didn’t expect after that diverse and rich tracks, was a cover song, and not just any cover song but a rehash of the Osmond’s hard rocking ‘Crazy Horses’. It’s a cool cover and has retained the vibe of the original whilst sounding distinctly at home here, it also neatly cuts the tracks in half.
‘Burning Rome’ that follows, is the big one for me. A slower song it has everything you already love about this band and then some. It’s stunning.
After that most songs would be swamped but the thrust and groove of ‘Don’t Let The World (Get In The Way)’ adds a few shiny dance moves to the mix. It’s a great ‘blue sky’ song that just lets the music do the talking and melts away those troubles. Set against the politically charged ‘Green And Troubled Land’ which opens like a burst of Stiff Little Fingers (who Ricky played with) – it rocks it’s heart out, a wonderful moment with some fine lyrics and a sublime chorus.
‘This Life Will Be The Death Of Me’ is another departure, funky and soulful, lit by a searing solo and bought home by a rock solid rhythm section. It’s a strong way to close the regular CD, a new chapter for the band that again has that wonderful knack of delivering more than you hoped of them.
And the bonus tracks are great too: ‘Cut ‘n’ Run’ is straight to the pedal Lizzy-like melodic tune to raise your fist, the rollicking ‘Suspicious Times’ deserved a place into the final track list, while ‘Why Are The Rats’ is fun, uptempo rocker with sarcastic lyrics and an infectious chorus with fantastic backing vocals. It’s one of BSR best songs ever!
BLACK STAR RIDERS evolved from the touring version of Thin Lizzy, assembled by guitarist Scott Gorham. While still tour with the band, he didn’t recorded in “Wrong Side Of Paradise”. Without Scott this is of course a different band but over the last 30 years of creating great music I’d be prepared to say this is one of Ricky Warwick’s finest.
HIGHLY Recommended
01. Wrong Side Of Paradise 03:44
02. Hustle 03:27
03. Better Than Saturday Night 03:40
04. Riding Out The Storm 03:51
05. Pay Dirt 03:46
06. Catch Yourself On 04:18
07 Crazy Horses 02:24
08. Burning Rome 03:49
09. Don't Let The World 03:48
10. Green And Troubled Land 04:50
11. This Life Will Be The Death Of Me 03:30
Bonus tracks:
12. Cut 'n' Run 03:30
13. Suspicious Times 04:06
The Players:
Ricky Warwick
Christian Martucci
Robert Crane
Zach St. John-Drums
Black Star Riders – Wrong Side Of Paradise (Special Edition + 2 bonus) – 2023+FLAC
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