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Ethos Album Reviews
Saturday, 9 January 2010
3.8 out of 5.0
Now Playing: Diamond Dave (2003)
Topic: David Lee Roth
    

     Van Halen's legendary frontman David Lee Roth departed the band soon after the album 1984 was released, which was the last VH album to feature Roth as the vocalist. VH carried on and regrouped with the well-established Sammy Hagar, and the band then continued on to record some stellar albums. Roth however tried his hand as a solo-act, bringing his brand of wild and loose antics to his own work. Roth, otherwise known as "Diamond Dave", had a fairly decent solo career, but his best work was often considered behind him. His first solo record, Eat 'Em And Smile (1986) was terrific! It featured guitar great Steve Vai and was a major success. His follow up, Skyscraper (1988) was on par with its predecessor in many ways, but perhaps was not quite as consistent - though it still featured Steve Vai on guitar. The 1990s were not very kind to Roth's solo career as those efforts were pretty poor. A Little Aint Enough (1991) and Your Filthy Little Mouth (1994) showed a significant decline in musicality, and the latter album was particularly bad. DLR Band in 1998 showed improvement, but it wasn't until 2003 when Roth released Diamond Dave, that he showed a determined and focused effort.

     Diamond Dave is easily Roth's best album since Eat Em And Smile, because it plays to many of Roth's strengths, but also, he takes new and interesting risks, but the choices pay off rather than hamper his work. Many of the songs here are covers, some lesser known, some mainstream, but all are pretty darn good I must say. The first three tracks, "You Got The Blues Not Me", "Made Up My Mind", and "Stay While The Night Is Young", are dymanite and are indeed are some of his best songs yet. The musicanship on this album is terrific and Roth has found perhaps his best band yet (aside from Van Halen of course).

     There may be no big presence of an Eddie Van Halen or a Steve Vai on guitar, but as I alluded to just before, the musicianship is amazing. The guitar work is excellent, as is the rythym section - it is nuanced and very well-developed. There are a few scattered original tunes on Diamond Dave as well, including the pop/techno-ish/rock song "Thug Pop", which is one of the albums highlights. It also features a fine cover of "Ice Cream Man", which Van Halen covered way back in the day on their first record in 1978.

     The album isn't entirely perfect either as it features some covers that aren't particularly engaging, like the Jimi Hendrix "If 6 Was 9" cover. In any case, all the songs show a valiant effort, one that is commendable, and deserves the proper credit.

     Diamond Dave is a return to form for David Lee Roth after a decade-plus of disappointing solo records. Any Van Halen fan should treat themselves to this album as you will surely enjoy it. For a broader audience, it has a certain charm that is sure to capture your attention and ultimately entertain. Above all, Roth is a fantastic entertainer, and this album showcases his many talents.

TRACK HIGHLIGHTS:

"You Got The Blues Not Me"

"Made Up My Mind"

"Stay While The Night Is Young"

"Thug Pop"

"Ice Cream Man"

"Bad Habits"

"She's Looking Good"

-Kurt L.

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Posted by ethosreviews at 12:42 AM EST
Updated: Monday, 10 May 2010 10:58 AM EDT
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