A regular recap highlighting some of my favourite album releases each month. I don’t do “reviews” – this is simply a few words about the albums that appeal to me and about the artists releasing them. Tracks from these albums will have been featured on the Friday NI Rocks Shows over the past few months. This month we focus on new albums from Joanne Shaw Taylor, Inglorious, Them Dirty Roses, Buckcherry, Orianthi, Bloody Dice and Wanted.
JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR – “Black & Gold” - Journeyman Records 6th June
English blues rock artist Joanne Shaw Taylor released her tenth studio album “Black & Gold”, through Journeyman Records on 6th June. So far 6 of the 11 tracks on the album have featured on the Friday NI Rocks Show – “Hold of My Heart” in August 2024, “Black & Gold” in September, “I Gotta Stop Letting You Let Me Down” in December, “Greyer Shade of Blue” in January, “Hell of a Good Time” in February and “Summer Love” on 9th May.
Taylor was discovered by Dave Stewart when she was just sixteen. She released her debut album in 2009 and won Best Female Vocalis at the British Blues Awards for the first time the following year. Over the past 15 years she has worked with some great artists and had significant success in the UK and USA. The latest album is produced by Kevin Shirley and released on Joe Bonamassa’s record label.
Website - https://www.joanneshawtaylor.com/
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INGLORIOUS – “V” – Frontiers 6th June
Inglorious make a welcome return with their new album, “V”, released through Frontiers Music on 6th June. The track “Testify” was included on the Friday NI Rocks Show in March, followed by “Devil Inside” in April and “Stand” on 9th May.
Inglorious was formed by singer Nathan James in 2014 and between 2016 and 2022 the band released four studio albums, a covers album and a live album. Nathan was a guest on the Friday NI Rocks Show in 2016 after the release of their first album - http://www.rockradioni.co.uk/interviews/2773-ni-rocks-interview-with-nathan-james-from-inglorious
The band went on hiatus in 2022 but have returned with a new line up that features Nathan on vocals, Colin Parkinson on bass and guitar, Richard Shaw on guitar and Henry Rogers on drums. Parkinson, who had played bass with the band between 2014-18, also produced the album.
Website - https://inglorious.com/
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THEM DIRTY ROSES – “Lost in the Valley of Hate & Love Vol 2” – Garden Party Records 6th June
Alabama band Them Dirty Roses released their latest album, “Lost in the Valley of Hate & Love Vol 2” on 6th June. The band was a chance discovery for me when their video for “Candle in the Dark” popped into my YouTube playlist. That track then featured on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 20th June.
Them Dirty Roses features brother James (vocals and guitars) and Frank Ford (drums) and their hometown friends Andrew Davis (guitars) and Ben Crain (bass). They moved from Alabama to Nashville in 2014, releasing EPs in 2014, 2016 and 2017 that became their first album in 2019. A live album followed in 2020 and then “Lost in the Valley of Hate & Love Vol 1” in 2022.
Website - https://www.themdirtyroses.com/
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BUCKCHERRY – “Roar Like Thunder” – Earache Records 13th June
“Roar Like Thunder” is the 11th studio album from Buckcherry and it was released on 13th June by Earache Records. I had pre-ordered the yellow vinyl version with signed obi strip. There was a special promo feature with Josh Todd talking about the new album on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 13th June. That featured the tracks “Come On”, “Set It Free” and “Roar Like Thunder”. The former had already been included on the Show on 23rd May, whilst the latter featured back in March.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the formation of Buckcherry in 1995. The band released two albums before splitting in 2002 and returning in 2005 with the hugely successful album “15”. Since then there has been 8 studio albums, a live album, a compilation album and a covers album.
There have been a few line-up changes over the years, including the departure of founding member, guitarist Keith Nelson, in 2017. Singer Josh Todd is the only founding member of the band remaining, but guitarist Stevie Dacanay has been a constant since 2005. The other members of the band are Billy Rowe on guitar (since 2020), Kelly LeMieux on bass (since 2013) and Francis Ruiz on drums (since 2019).
Website - https://www.buckcherry.com/
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ORIANTHI – “SOME KIND OF FEELING” – Woodward Avenue 27th June
Australian artist Orianthi released her sixth studio album, “Some Kind of Feeling”, on 27th June through Woodward Avenue Records. The lead single “First Time Blues” featured Joe Bonamassa and it was included on the Friday NI Rocks Show in February and March 2024, and again on 27th June 2025. In addition, the track “Ghost” was featured in May 2024, “Some Kinda Feeling” in November 2024 and “Attention” on 23rd May.
Orianthi has been a guest on the Show twice – in 2014 and most recently in 2020 - http://www.rockradioni.co.uk/interviews/3791-ni-rocks-interview-with-orianthi-sp-641207451
In addition to her solo album, Orianthi has released an album with Richie Sambora called “Radio Free America”, was part of the Alice Cooper Band for several years and has worked with Carrie Underwood, Michael Jackson and many others.
Orianthi produced three of the songs on the albums, with Kevin Shirley doing the remainder. In addition to Orianthi on guitar and lead vocals, the album features a number of different guitarists, bass players, drummers and keyboard players.
Website - https://www.orianthi.me/
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BLOODY DICE – “2” – Eönian Records 27th June
Danish band Bloody Dice released their second album, simply called “2”, through Eönian Records on 27th June. The track “The Bitch is Crazy” featured on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 6th June, followed by “Cry For War” on 27th June.
Bloody Dice released their self-titled debut album in 2023; following on from a couple of singles in 2020 and an EP in 2021. The band features Dagfinn Joensen on vocals, Nickie Jensen on guitars, Jakob Haugaard on bass and Peter Larsen on drums.
Website - https://www.bloodydice.com/
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WANTED – “Cutting Edge” – Eönian Records 27th June
Detroit based band Wanted released their second album, “Cutting Edge”, through Eönian Records on 27th June. The track “Power” was included on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 27th June.
Wanted formed in 2021 and released their debut album “Chain Reaction” in 2022, followed by “Late Attraction” in 2023. The band features Sterling Primeau on vocals, Alan Mares on lead guitar, Christian Shonts on rhythm guitar, Paul Slezak on bass and Jameson Clark on drums.
Website - https://wantedbandofficial.com/