Released May 30, 2006

The music of George Thorogood never ceases to amaze and excite. His brand of power driven blues-rock is often a breath of fresh air. For almost thirty years he has been churning out energetic party tunes, and delivering them to fans in the best damn barroom manner known to mankind.

The Hard Stuff is no different. It’s exactly as the title states. It’s down and dirty, and rocked up better than anything these days, better than anything thirty years ago, too, for that matter.

Though the CD is jam-packed with energetic, good ol’ George Thorogood rock and roll, it contains a mixture of styles also. I think this is what separates it from much of his previous work. The fact that the guitar tones are better than ever, and contain their own character for the setting of each track, has a lot to do with that nuance as well.

The songs opener, ‘Hard Stuff’, gets the listener into the Destroyer mood almost instantly. The gruff riff and solid beat lead up to an exciting rock and roll groove. The second song is a lively rendition of Fats Domino’s ‘Hello Josephine’. ‘I Got My Eyes On You’ is pure rock and roll muscle. That signature slide and crunchy tone is what it’s all about here. ‘I Didn’t Know’ is a song with a message, or so he hollers at the songs onset. This, I’m sure, will be added to the growing list of great Thorogood rock radio hits. It leads nicely into ‘Any Town USA’, a rocked up patriotic cut. The lyrics celebrate many of the great cities of the USA. I’ll go out on a limb here and say that this just may be one of the greatest songs the celebrated blues rocker has ever recorded. It rocks!

Next is ‘Little Rain Falling’, a pleasant Jimmy Reed ballad. Not only are both guitars mesmerizing, but Buddy Leach’s sax solo midway thru is stunning. ‘Cool It!’, penned by blues guitarist Jim Suhler, who’s also a band mate and legend in his own right, is just as the title states, an instrumental in a cool jazz mode. George goes acoustic for Johnny Shines’ ‘Dynaflow Blues, and gets into an interesting Shines/Johnson feel. It’d be interesting to see him along side both of these blues greats, who were good buddies. ‘Rock Party’ rocks the house again in George’s distinctive Chuck Berry form, though a thunderous form it is.

There’s a first time for everything, especially within this CDs variety. Would you like to hear Thorogood do a Dylan song? If so, you’ve got it. ‘Drifter’s Escape’ is an excellent cover of a great Dylan song, very melodic and rhythmic. It has kind of a Dylan/ Fogerty ambiance to it. ‘Huckle Up Baby’ is a John Lee Hooker gem, and a good album closer. It’s reminiscent of ZZ Top’s ‘La Grange’ yet with Thorogood inventiveness.

I didn’t mention all of the great songs on The Hard Stuff, as there are 15 in all. But one can easily discern that it’s an incredibly diverse CD. Co-producer Jim Gaines may have had something to do with this. The whole thing sounds incredible. But don’t let that fool you. Although The Hard Stuff is laden with varied styles, it’s basically a rock and roll album. It’s George Thorogood at his finest. Like a vintage Gibson guitar, he gets better with age. The Destroyers do, too.

George uses Gibson hollowbody guitars, Mega-Boogie amps, and GHS strings.

The Hard Stuff Track Listing

1. Hard Stuff

2. Hello Josephine

3. Moving

4. I Got My Eyes On You

5. I Didn’t Know

6. Any Town USA

7. Little Rain Falling

8 Cool It!

9. Love Doctor

10. Dynaflow Blues

11. Rock Party

12. Drifter’s Escape

13. Give Me Back My Wig

14. Takin’ Care Of Business

15. Huckle Up Baby

The Destroyers:
George Thorogood: guitars and vocals
Jeff Simon: drums
Bill Blough: bass
Jim Suhler: guitar
Buddy Leach: sax

Produced by Jim Gaines and the Delaware Destroyers

Eagle Rock Entertainment 2006
Eagle Records

Links
George Thorogood
Kayos Productions
Eagle Rock Entertainment
The Hard Stuff on Amazon.com