The Workhorse Movement were one of the great near-misses of the nu-metal explosion. The Detroit five-piece’s "Sons Of The Pioneers" album in 2000 saw them thrust tantalising close to the epicentre of the whole rap-rock kerfuffle, but, soon after a headliner-upstaging UK support tour with Pitch Shifter, the band disintegrated under the eternally underestimated pressures of holding a working band together.
It’s taken this long for anything new to emerge from the debris of that project. DIRTY AMERICANS comprise a trio of former Workhorses - vocalist Myron, guitarist Jeff Piper and bassist Pete Bever – who, with the addition of drummer Jeremiah Pilbeam (who presumably could have made it into the band on the strength of his name alone), have struck out on a far more vintage course.
Gone are the funny little dyed beards and rap influences. In their place, tie-dye shirts and good time grooves abound; Myron’s honeyed vocals flow with effortless power over chunky riffs and infectious choruses. “I don’t have a master plan, but I do what I can,” he croons mellifluously on the insistent opener "No Rest," and the band thereafter effortlessly cover the classic rock bases on the Zep stomp of "Car Crash" and the wind-the-car-window-down-and-let-it-rip rush of the title track, while they mellow slightly on the Hendrix-y blues of "Give It Up" and the camp fire acoustic of "Deep End."
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Still, as good as record as this is, one can’t help worrying that these guys might have the same sense of poor timing as a video salesman with a case full of Betamax. The Workhorse Movement arrived at the party just as it was starting to break up and now, with the world and his dog having embraced retro-rock, crowds and critics are beginning to grit their teeth slightly at the weight of old school offerings. It is to be hoped that this time round the band get some of their dues.
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