Not sure how the remaining members of Thin Lizzy decided upon this new moniker, but all credit is deserved, for no longer riding the tail of the Irish rock group’s black star (ahem?). Ricky Warwick (ex-Almighty) already had a career, but his accent definitely was one of the keys to securing the frontman position in Lizzy, having since had the good sense to avoid (most) comparisons to the late Phil Lynott by opting for a new handle.

After the mid-tempo title track opens, the vintage sound takes over, despite guitarist Scott Gorham being the lone “original” Lizzy. First single, ‘Bound For Glory’ rides a similar train to Lynott penned classics like ‘Johnny The Fox’ or ‘Emerald’, and if you didn’t know any better, Warwick could be passed off as the late bassist/singer! Mean guitar break in there too. Ditto ‘Valley Of The Stones’. Although there’s a fife and drums (bodhran?) Celtic start to ‘Kingdom Of The Lost’, it’s more Great Big Sea than Thin Lizzy. The bouncy ‘Bloodshot’ follow-up, however, sits comfortably with all of Live & Dangerous’ greatest hits. No easy feat. ‘Hey Judas’ (featuring the lyric, “I still love you Judas,” has Jimmy Degrasso mimicking that old drum pattern, heavy on the ride cymbal. The cowbell embellished ‘Hoodoo Voodoo’ is a mix of Lizzy dual guitars and something that belongs to the Nazareth canon, circa ‘Hair Of The Dog’, which isn’t a bad thing. ‘Someday Salvation’ has a simple, sped up reggae/ska beat, while a funky, talked-through vocals ‘Blues Ain’t So Bad’ closes the album, fading out as an instrumental jam. Overall, vibrant, with a sense of urgency, this certainly isn’t an old fogies’ record, neither the participants, nor the potential listeners. Try it for yourself.