Million Dollar Reload

Anthems of a Degeneration

Bulletproof 20/20 Records, 2007

By Alissa Ordabai
(SugarBuzz London)

SugarBuzz Magazine

Showing originality while imitating AC / DC and the Black Crowes is no more difficult than showing polite disapproval with only two words at your disposal – “it” and “sucks”.

On their debut album Irish classic rock revisionists Million Dollar Reload show exactly what it’s like to be in a tight spot where sources of inspiration are limited and imagination is buried under the weight of clichés and tradition. Still, what the band lacks in novel ideas, they partly make up for by bravery, because in the current industry climate only the brave can so rigidly stick to the classic rock standards and so single-mindedly use old beat-up formulas in an irrational bid for individuality.

The band’s saving grace, however, is professionalism, the whole crew proving to be practiced and rigorous craftsmen, even though too often disappointingly predictable. Singer Phil Conalane is a confident performer, sounding at times like a subdued Brian Johnson, and at times like a muffled Ian Gillan, but very experienced and self-assured. The guitar parts are just as competent, “Dead Like You (Freeloader)” probably being the best demonstration of the slick and crafty Blackmoresque phrasing that the solos strive toward on this album. The results of these instrumental endeavours are, nonetheless, changeable, song after song fluctuating between acceptable proficiency and uninspiring blandness.

What is slightly surprising about this record is that for a debut it sounds just a little too tired and over-practiced, making you wish there was just a bit more freshness and spontaneity to the band’s assembly-line execution of their spin-off material. Instead, listening to this record is like having to watch someone struggle to find a rhyme for the word “fire” and ending up rhyming it with… yes, you’ve guessed it – “desire”.

Still, derivative tunes and standard-issue musicianship have never been a bar to success when compensated by big temperament. And temperament ain’t something this band can copy, rehearse or fake. So their workouts remain mostly just that – workouts, until we finally reach the closing track – “Travel”. Here MDR treat us to a good melody and a bit of introspection for the first time on the album. It’s a hopeful, warm retro tune with plenty of elegance and style, telling me that all isn’t lost, and that MDR could still develop into a band capable of latitude and depth of expression. This last song, a big surprise saved for the very end, is a reason enough to buy the album and possibly to wait for the next one in the hope that the crew will finally stop hiding their originality, will pass on the clichés and raise imagination. Maybe then an event justifying this band’s name will follow.

http://www.myspace.com/milliondollarreload

SugarBuzz Magazine