The Dead Daisies – Face I Love (EP) 2014 Review
Following the release of their debut album, The Dead Daisies continued both touring and working in the studio. After a successful tour with the legendary KISS and Def Leppard in the summer and fall of 2014, they released an EP containing four tracks, three of which are brand-new originals and one cover. The cover in question is Helter Skelter, a song that has been covered by numerous bands over the years.
The title track and opener, Face I Love, slightly resembles the songs from their debut album but leans more toward a pure rock vibe. The opening riff blends seamlessly with John’s raspy vocals, while Dizzy Reed’s keyboards enrich the song and give it a distinctly rockier sound, reminiscent of his signature touches from the Use Your Illusion I & II era with Guns N’ Roses. It’s essentially one of those Sweet Home Alabama-style tracks, perfect for hot summer days when you’re driving with the windows down and enjoying upbeat, positive music.
The next song, Your Karma, also carries shades of The Rolling Stones or even Aerosmith, radiating greater energy as a result. The third track, Angel In Your Eyes, leans toward a Southern blues-rock vibe in the style of Lynyrd Skynyrd, complete with John Stevens’ heavy and commanding vocals.
Overall Impression
The general impression left by this EP is that The Dead Daisies seem firmly determined to “fire on stronger cylinders” than before. These three songs, excluding the cover, are more energetic and decidedly rockier than most tracks on their debut album. Perhaps this is exactly what was missing from the album, and it seems The Dead Daisies have decided to address that and deliver much more to their devoted fans—of which there are quite a few.
At the beginning of 2015, the band announced their second album, and I think there’s reason to be optimistic. This EP inspires confidence that The Dead Daisies have taken a slightly more modern direction. What the album as a whole will be like remains to be seen. For now, there are some tracks available to listen to that might (though not certainly) appear on the upcoming album. One of these is a song called Critical, which I stumbled upon on the band’s SoundCloud profile. The song blew me away. It’s more modern and rock-oriented than anything they’ve done so far, and the keyboards at the beginning immediately captivate the listener. I highly recommend giving it a listen.
If this represents the refinement and direction we mentioned earlier, the path The Dead Daisies are taking, then there’s nothing to worry about—just enjoy their work so far. Although individually they are veterans of rock and roll, as a collective, they still have a lot to offer in the time ahead, and these new songs inspire more than enough confidence for that. I believe The Dead Daisies’ time is yet to come, and it’s up to them to show us how far they can go (no matter how absurd that may sound for musicians with so much experience)!
Whatever the case, their arsenal is fully loaded and ready to fire!
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