Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs – ‘Vagabonds, Virgins, and Misfits’ album review: a classic example of twisting heartland rock
THE SKINNY: Rock and roll is never going to run short on nostalgia acts. As long as there are still artists willing to put in the work and make music that they know their fans will love, people will always show up to concerts to sing the same boring old songs that everyone has heard before. Mike Campbell may have already found that perfect sweet spot for his sound working with Tom Petty, but his latest record is a classic example of twisting heartland rock until it starts sounding new again.
With the help of other rock veterans and some token appearances by a few Heartbreakers, Vagabonds, Virgins and Misfits is precisely the kind of record that most artists of Campbell’s calibre wish they could be making. He had already been responsible for classic licks in the Heartbreakers, but Campbell and his band The Dirty Knobs have put together a collection that feels like the middle ground between later-period Stones and the chiming sounds of the Eagles.
While this feels like it should be the ultimate rock experience that many a dad would eat up, that doesn’t mean that it can’t branch out, either. There are definitely a lot of slow-burners on the record, but there is still the occasional potboiler that tends to give even the greatest rock acts of right now a run for their money.
Whereas Campbell’s last album was released amid the height of the pandemic, this is the kind of rock and roll show anyone could fall in love with. It shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for his older outfit, but this is the kind of fire that the Heartbreakers harnessed on albums like Hypnotic Eye, only taken to a higher level this time around.
For fans of: Loud guitars, blues jams, and those comfortable jeans that you should have thrown out three years ago.
A concluding comment from the Ghost of Rock and Roll Past: “Grab my fringed jacket, fringed trousers and fringed boots — we’re going out tonight.”
Vagabonds, Virgins, and Misfits track by track:
Release Date: June 14th | Producer: George Drakoulias and Mike Campbell | Label: BMG
‘The Greatest’: After taking a sabbatical from touring like most of us were in 2020, hearing this kind of sunshine rock is the ultimate way of getting people smiling again. Campbell’s vocal tone might seem too close to Petty’s in certain spots, but that’s not a negative. If anything, this is the best kind of flashback to get listeners used to what the album has to offer. (4/5)
‘Angel of Mercy’: This is more like the heartland rock that most people would expect out of Campbell. The guitars are roaring, and there are more than a few traces of Wildflowers in the Drakoulias production, especially in how they lay the guitars on the choruses. Then again, if you aren’t into this kind of music on principle, this might not be the best way to convince you to jump in, either. (3/5)
‘Dare to Dream’: The kind of rock and roll song that sounds like a modern classic. While it’s hard to tell how much influence Graham Nash had on the piece’s arrangement, this feels like an old CSN cut we never knew had been kept in the vault for so long. It might have taken another rootsy rocker to write it, but it’s better to have it decades after than not have it at all. (5/5)
‘Hands Are Tied’: The expected slow-burner tune of the record. While there are more than a few bluesy phrases that give it a pass, this is definitely one of the moments where things start to get a bit too lethargic than most would be willing to go. Still, if this is the bottom of what the record is, Campbell can still pull off toothless dad rock pretty damn well (2.5/5)
‘Hell or High Water’: For all of the great love songs that Campbell has helped write in the Heartbreakers and in his solo career, rarely do you get to see the woman’s perspective. Enter country veteran Lucinda Williams, who takes the second verse on here and brings all of the drama that you’d expect out of a latter-day Fleetwood Mac piece. Considering Campbell played with ‘The Mac’ for a while once Lindsey Buckingham left, this shows he was definitely paying attention to how they constructed those classic hits (3.5/5)
‘So Alive’: For someone who has been known for making the most laid-back music of all time, ‘So Alive’ is the kind of uptempo rocker that didn’t really feel like Campbell could play anymore. But by hopping on a great blues lick and using his slide guitar, the rock veteran puts together the kind of song that would make even a few punks nod their head in solidarity. It’s not the most aggressive thing in the world, but hearing Johnny Thunders by way of George Jones is a welcome sight to see (4/5)
‘Shake These Blues’: Campbell has always been indebted to the blues, and this is the one moment on the record where he can afford to be a bit overindulgent. There are definitely a few pieces of this song that stretch on for a bit too long, but this feels less like a proper track and more of an excuse for the group to loosen up a little bit in the studio. And for any guitar players listening, it’s worth pressing play to just to hear what tasty guitar playing really sounds like. (3.5/5)
‘Innocent Man’: Compared to the rest of the record, ‘Innocent Man’ still feels like a little bit of a slump. While by no means a bad track, the hook feels more like the guitar is doing the heavy lifting rather than any sort of knockout chorus. But that shouldn’t be too much of a mark against it. This just feels like the kind of tune that would have ended up as a B-side back in the 1990s or maybe as a forgotten Mudcrutch song. (2.5/5)
‘Don’t Wait Up’: And here we have yet another case with Chris Stapleton slowly turning into one of the greatest rock stars of our time. Despite being one of the leading figures in country music, Stapleton gives an incredible performance as Campbell lays into the grooves and dials everything in with Heartbreaker Benmont Tench. There are definitely faint wisps of early rock, but this is the kind of rockabilly song that went to Hell and came back wiser for it. (4/5)
‘My Old Friends’: Given Campbell’s sense of humour, it’s only fitting that we end with a song about how he’s getting a bit grey behind the ears. As much as a track about naming different alcohol seems more of a tired cliche these days, it doesn’t sound that dated coming out of Campbell’s mouth. This is just the kind of dad joke that actually warrants a few chuckles as everything wraps up. (3.5/5)
‘Annabell Lee’: And to bring everything to an end, we end up in borderline bluegrass territory for the final song. For all of the great music The Dirty Knobs had made before, this is what they would have sounded like had they come from a land where electric guitars and distortion had never existed. Campbell has always been a fan of pure Americana music, and this short and sweet instrumental is a lot like the entire album: doesn’t wear out its welcome and a good time all the way through. (3.5/5)
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