Blue Collar Criminals - Broken Hearted Songs... For Bitter Minded Drunks

H8-Piece Records

 

2017 marks the 10 year anniversary of Arizona's working class hooligans the Blue Collar Criminals. And how do you celebrate such an event best as a band? Exactly, with a new album! "Broken Hearted Songs... For Bitter Minded Drunks" was released last Valentine's Day, simply because the album-title lend itself perfectly for a release date on the 14th of February. But with the mailman being particularly slow on delivering this CD, almost making me give up its arrival to begin with, it just reminded me of every other Valentine's Day. Broken hearted. Bitter. Just kidding.

 

The third album of the Tucson's Criminals starts off loud and rowdy. A roaring motor, a howling horn, handclaps and boisterous chants praising the BCC, but after 40 seconds the uproar switches to serenity, and before you know it you're listening to a violin and a cello. This might sound crazy, perhaps it kind of is, but I love it at the same time. The "Intro" definitely captures the idea of 'calm before the storm', because right after all hell breaks loose with "Maybe The One", a short but hard hitting anthem that settles the score with that crazy, accusing ex we all had. Fuck you indeed!

 

Musically the Blue Collar Criminals' sound is influenced by punk, hardcore, Oi! and some good old rock 'n' roll. But even with the occasional acoustic track here ("Bold Too") and there (just wait until you hear the bonus track), the Criminals manage to make all influences sound as a whole. Best to be described as streetrock 'n' roll, partly due to frontman Mike's excellent, sandpaper-throat vocals, BCC lays down some killer tracks with a tight rhythm section, plus some great, rockin' riffs and Social D-like guitar solo's – though that sung intro on "Sid Hatfield" by the band members' kids is cool as ice as well!

 

Although Sloppy Seconds and Guns N' Roses (that bonus track is "Patience", and I swear I was listening to the LP "G N'R Lies" right before I got this CD, coincidence?) are covered on "Broken Hearted Songs..." as well, the AZ thugs have the most musical resemblances with the band their third cover is from, "Hold On" by the mighty Bonecrusher! True, it is almost impossible to beat the original, but the Blue Collar Criminals do a more than solid version, making me have that damn chorus stuck in my head all day. Earworm!

 

Unfortunately "Broken Hearted Songs... For Bitter Minded Drunks" is only available on CD, but as you can read my copy fortunately arrived after all! Good stuff!