Dan Sartain Lives: The mishmash magazine review

Shaun Christie gave a 9/10 to Dan Sartain Lives for the mishmash magazine. Here's the review:

Black Betty comes from Birmingham, way down in Alabama. Well so does one Sir Dan Sartain. Alabama’s finest has finally followed up his well received 2006 LP ‘Join Dan Sartain’ with his latest ‘Dan Sartain Lives’. When I last spoke with Dan, the working title for this album was to be called Crimson Cinema of Death. This title sadly got left behind but the name lives on in an instrumental track which is currently streaming on Dan’s MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/dansartain)

So why go with the title ‘Dan Sartain Lives’? Perhaps it is because of the long wait between albums, a statement that he in fact is still among the living. Maybe it’s a tip of the hat to those rumors of old. You know when rock stars are rumored to have died and then they find an exact lookalike replacement ala Paul McCartney. If so perhaps this Dan version 2.0 is trying to cover his tracks by using this album title. However, what gives the game away is that there’s no escaping this album is made by THE Dan Sartain - Master of the dark twang!

It opens with familiar territory in ‘Those Thoughts’ which would not have sounded out of place on his previous LP. But then ‘Anything I Say’ kicks in and gives us a glimpse of Dan’s real agenda. Dan states ‘doing anything that makes me feel fine’ I have a feeling one of those ‘things’ would be those glam rock drums that are pounding this song out of my stereo. He had previously mentioned that Gary Glitter would be an influence on this album and he wasn’t lying. A younger more feral ‘Rock N Roll Part 2’ should give you a good idea of its sound.

I first heard the song ‘Bohemian Grove’ via my 7” vinyl from Jack Whites Third Man Records label. Dan released a 7” on this label which included the songs 'Atheist Funeral' and 'Bohemian Grove.' The stark contrast between the album version and the Third Man version is instantly apparent. The piano driven vinyl version is now long gone and been replaced with a more upbeat 60s - 70s fuzz pop song. The vibe from this song instantly brings to mind a buddy holly type affair with a fuzz pedal and go-go dancers in the background.

Rockabilly is a genre that always seems too be bandied about when referencing Dan and his music, but the shoe does not fit in the case of “Dan Sartain Lives”. Granted earlier outings may have been construed as owing a debt to the rockabilly forefathers but the new album completely sheds that snake skin. Rockabilly like any musical genre these days is like Oprah’s waistline – it’s always expanding. So while he may be rooted with a rockabilly soul he has grown and reached further afield with this record.

‘Watcha Gonna Do’ is a great example of this. The song is a haunting tale of doo wop lament which is scenically backed by ominous organs. ‘Touch Me’ is a sexually charged ditty that makes use of pigeon style ‘cooing’ throughout its lusty groove soaked couple of minutes. Dan’s vocals on tracks like ‘Ruby Carroll’ and ‘Bad Things Will Happen’ seem more assured and stronger than they have ever been. Think Roy Orbison but from the wrong side of the tracks.


A definite downside with the album, though years in the making, is that its a very brief affair with most songs clocking in less than 3 minutes. But that is what you get with Dan Sartain, he does not add needlessly long intros, or 4 minute guitar solos because that’s what certain target demographic markets are asking for this year. He gets in and slays you in 30 minutes and then steals your wallet.

Dan Sartain Lives is Senor Sartain’s most accessible album to date with huge hooks that would make Moby Dick flinch. His songs embody a bygone era of American Rebels which sadly are being slowly eroded away from the mainstream. Dan Sartain Lives is the last American Rebel and you should give it a listen, as you never know it could be gone quicker than Jimmy Dean in a sports car.
Favorite Track Watcha Gonna Do
Least Favorite Track N/A
Recommend album? Heck Yeah