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By GREG MAKI
It’s the name of the album and the first words you hear from frontman John Allen. On their debut, Let’s Rock-N-Roll, Charm City Devils leave no doubt as to what they are here to do. And for just under 37 minutes, the rock is nearly nonstop.
Allen, who has bounced around the Baltimore music scene for some time, mostly as a drummer in bands like SR-71 and Child’s Play, has a definite Bon Scott quality to his voice, and the music follows with an appropriate balls-out, no-nonsense swagger. The title track has been burning up the Baltimore airwaves for several months now, and it is the perfect introduction to the band, sure to be their signature song well into the future. The ballad “Best of the Worst” has great single potential, “Pour Me” is the kind of hard-driving drinking song every self-respecting rock band should have and “Burn Baby Burn” is an addictive, high-octane rocker. The shining star of this disc is the anthemic “True Love (Hell Yeah)” with its arena-filling rhythm and unforgettable call-and-response refrain.
It should come as no surprise that Charm City Devils drew the attention of Nikki Sixx, who, as president, signed them to Eleven Seven Music and is taking them on the road as part of Crüe Fest 2. This is the kind of rock band they don’t make much anymore. Some greats—Mötley Crüe and AC/DC, to name a couple—are still going strong. Charm City Devils join Airbourne as one of a handful of new bands that are ensuring real rock ‘n’ roll will live on for a long time to come.
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