Like a number of recent albums, Dusted Radio was meant to arrive much earlier. Being delayed by COVID-19 had some advantages for Jonny Weathers though, as it gave him an opportunity to record with well-known musicians, including Phil Collen from Def Leppard and the band The Professionals, who would have otherwise been out on tour. Weathers provides a novel-length description on his Bandcamp page of how it all came together. It also helped that former Sex Pistols member Paul Cook, whose propulsive drumming fueled vocalist-guitarist Weathers’ impressive 2018 Sonic Assault EP, was involved again.
It’s surprising to find Weathers so descriptive since he takes a much more minimalist approach to writing lyrics. He conjured a mythical ambience for the hard-hitting “Man At The Orleans” on Sonic Assault with lines such as, “He comes in here, but he’s rarely seen” and “You left a broken king in a castle.” That cryptic approach works well again on Dusted Radio, particularly when there’s so much instrumental firepower behind it. In addition to all that energy throughout these nine tracks, Weathers explores a few new approaches.
On “I Used To Have Possession,” his fierce guitar playing evokes Jimi Hendrix, but he adds an indie rock feel as well. The song only has four lines of lyrics, and each line contradicts the one before it. “Opium Fireworks” overflows with obscure imagery, but the hard-hitting arrangement keeps the listener focused. “Indian Rope Tricks” has a slower, grungier feel that incorporates harmonica, acoustic guitar and bristling lyrics describing betrayal. “Soulshine” is a mid tempo effort where mournful guitar playing underscores a guy’s inability to absorb the essential advice the woman he’s dating is trying to share.
After an ominous intro, “Radio City” becomes a speeding locomotive powered by guitars, keyboards, and a steady drum beat. “How Long Until It’s Gone” finds Weathers tapping into the funkier side of Hendrix, as he spins a tale of people being killed by a mysterious force. “Psycho (In an emergency)” sports an irresistible instrumental intro before following a traveler desperate to get back home. And as Weathers has done throughout most of Dusted Radio, the lyrics suggest there’s some dark secret being kept.
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