Album review: Hookers & Blow “Hookers & Blow”
Dizzy Reed and Alex Grossi finally get the Hookers & Blow debut album done. It’s a good fun covers album with an excellent and eclectic mix of songs.
Hookers & Blow was formed in Los Angeles in 2003 by Dizzy Reed of Guns N’ Roses and Alex Grossi of Quiet Riot as a fun side project. The band has since then been performing with many different guest musicians joining them on stage. Hookers & Blow is a band that is all about having a good time and entertaining people. It shows and spills over into the music on this album which is the band’s first. On this 12-track covers album we get to hear an eclectic mix of music. We get covers of songs by The Zombies, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Eddie Money, Body Count, Tom Petty, Blue Öyster Cult, The Beastie Boys and Elton John. The version of the Eddie Money track “Shakin’” is terrific. To cover the iconic “Ziggy Stardust” is very brave, but the Hookers pull it off. Blue Öyster Cult’s quirky “Godzilla” (featuring the LA-based Japanese Okai Sisters as guests) is the personal highlight for me. On the splendid Zeppelin cover “Trampled Foot” we get a guest appearance by the late Quiet Riot and W.A.S.P. drummer Frankie Banali who also appears on another Led Zep cover, “No Quarter”. The current Hookers & Blow line-up includes Dizzy Reed on vocals and keyboards, Alex Grossi on guitar, Mike Duda (W.A.S.P.) on bass, Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative, Danzig) on drums and vocalist Nadja Reed.
Hookers & Blow’s debut album is out now via Golden Robot Records.
