John Lindberg Trio “Dig It”

John Lindberg Trio hail from Sweden where they have earnt a strong reputation for their live shows, where they have apparently played every single rock venue worthy of the name in their home country. They describe their sound as a mix of “Beatles, Steve Earle, The Sonics, Led Zeppelin and The Fabulous Thunderbirds” which is a pretty fine mix as far as we’re concerned.

“Honky Tonkin” kicks the album off in fine style. It begins with a riff that reminds us of ‘Black Betty’ by Ram Jam before moving into a song that could soundtrack the most raucous of barn dances! Tracks like that and “Still In My Car” give you the sense that this is a good time rock n roll album. That may sound quite simplistic but when you hear a song like “Falling In Love Again” you realise that the John Lindberg Trio deliver it in fine style. It may be retro sounding but a song like “Sweet Talker” will have everyone shaking their hips and growing a quiff!

“My Love For You” is old school rockabilly but done in a way that still has a relevance to it, rather than dwelling purely in nostalgia. Along with tracks like “Dig It” you have a modern rockabilly sound that only someone like Darrel Higham has been able to nail recently. Sometimes it’s great to hear a song which is just good old rock n roll and that is certainly delivered by “Hats Off To Larry”.

Things slow down a bit for “Wonderin’” which also benefits from some sweet, female backing vocals which provide some light against the rock n roll riff. It’s a trick which also allows “Take A Chance” to stand out from the other tracks on the album.

The old cliché that rock n roll will never die springs to mind when listening to this album. It’s not a release that will appeal to those looking for Radiohead esque musical expansion, it’s a rock n roll album, pure and simple. That’s not to belittle it though, as very few bands can pull off this sound without sounding like some old nostalgia act. The Jon Lindberg trio have delivered an album full of great old school rock n roll which will appeal to rockabilly fans both young and old.