A comeback solo album from former Angel vocalist Frank Dimino is not something that would normally pop up on my musical radar. 70s pomp rockers Angel were a little before my time and generally a little outside my tastes.
But in my duties as reviewer here – Old Habits Die Hard is here to feature.
Frank’s vocals are somewhat different than the heyday and musically speaking this is more straight forward classic 70s rock than pomp. that the guys have hit their mark with this album.
The style and the vocals remind of a little of UFO and Vanilla Fudge – which is probably a sign
Frank has brought in a lot of fine folks to help him here - Paul Crook (Meat Loaf), Oz Fox (Stryper), Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister), Danny Miranda, Rickey Medlocke (Blackfoot, Lynyrd Skynyrd), Jeff Labansky, and former Angel bandmates Punky Meadows (on guitar) and Barry Brandt (co-writing with Frank the song Even Now).
So it’s a very star studded and largely uptempo affair. Highlights include the opener Never Again and Rockin’ In The City; the earthy 70s ballad Even Now and the stomping Mad As Hell.
The remaining tracks all fit in nicely but will likely hold appeal with already established fans of Frank.
The production is a bit iffy overall – the drum sound is pretty soft and I think and the mix a little muddy in places, but at the same time, it has that authentic 70s groove.
So not bad at all – better than I had expected and better again after a few listens. Not an album for everyone, but well suited for fans of Dimino and that 70s classic rock retro feel.
