George Thorogood

Rockin’ Life Away (EMI)
by Ryk McIntyre

Well, yes he is. And from the title track by Jerry Lee Lewis to other covers by John Hiatt, Merle Haggard, and Frank Zappa(!), George stays the course you’d expect of him and The Destroyers. I’m not crazy about Waddy Watchel’s production, the album is a few shades too slick, and what happened to George’s voice? Did he stop drinking and smoking? Not that it’s gone bad, but where’s the rasp that made “Move It On Over” or “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” such rough shots? Still, the covers of Merle Haggard’s “Livin’ With The Shades Pulled Down” and the straight-ahead R&B arrangement of Frank Zappa’s “Trouble Comin’ Everyday” show that George hasn’t slowed down or veered off. There’s something comforting in knowing that he’s still doing what he does best.