Rick Barton - singer-songwriter, former-Dropkick guitarist,
and “Bahstahn” punk mainstay - is never short on self-confidence and the latest
slab o’ rock from his shit-hot band Continental more than justifies the
hubris. Both more muscular and streamlined
than 2012’s “All A Man Can Do”, “Millionaires” crackles with electricity and
blue-collar bonhomie. Barton’s lyrics simply yet effectively give voice to the
lovers and losers in his songs. All in
all, it’s a sprightlier album due in no small part to Barton’s looser and more
natural sounding vocals. His voice has
always been a powerful but limited instrument, and he seems to have figured out
how to use his keening growl to maximum effect on stand-outs like “Hope” and “1000
Miles” (itself released as a single earlier this year and by far one of the
best things that Barton has ever written).
The band is also a tighter and more intuitive outfit this time out – son Stephen has
grown into a helluva bass player and guitarist Dave Deprest blows rockabilly
dust all over the place, spitting leads on the title track like a young Dave
Alvin. Purists will gripe about the lack of “punk” on
the record (there’s even a song called “Punk Rock Girl”, which is sadly NOT a
cover of the Dead Milkmen song!), but this is populist rock in the finest sense
of that term – of the people, for the people – and it’s a great reminder of a talent
who has long been taken for granted. So,
enjoy it for what it is, and play the fucker loud!
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