King of the Hop
Dylan Kirk
Date of release: 2022
Record Label : Emerald Records
Reviewed 27 October 2024
M. Dylan Kirk, out of England has a lot to him, good looks with a long blond pompadour, clear voice, plays first class rock’n’roll piano, has good taste in the choice of songs and is surrounded by a group of top-notch musicians. Jerry Lee Lewis, clearly had a certain influence on this young chap (just read Jimmy Van Eaton’s note on the back of the cover… it says it all). But Dylan is not trying to copy the Ferriday Fireball, he just carries on the tradition of teenage rock’n’roll piano pounders, and his voice may remind you of other artist such as Teddy Redell or Ray Smith.
Let’s also highlight the great guitar work of M. Randy Richter, a flawless rhythm section and not the least, a fantastic sound with a good dose of slap back echo. Close your eyes and you might think you’ve put a Sun or Starday comp in the player.
Records starts off strong with a rendition of ‘Let the Good Time Roll”, in pure Jerry lee’s style. Listen to that blistering piano and guitar… Roland Janes is not far either. ‘I thought it over’ is a nice mid-tempo rockin’ ballad that sounds a little bit like Teddy Redell. On the slower side we got ‘Don’t Fence me in” (not the Cole Porter song) a very nice country bopper, reminiscing of the best Starday recordings. Most reader will probably be familiar with the Ronnie Dawson version of ‘Bad case of a broken heart’. Dylan and the band deliver a very good version, proving he’s another blond bomber! ‘My baby left Me’ is not the not the Elvis / Arthur Crudup song, but a nice mid-tempo rocker with great piano and guitar break. ‘Why do you treat me so cruel’, is another great stop and go rocker, perfect for party, and so is ‘King of the Hop’. ‘Car Coat Beat’ may not be the strongest song, but still enjoyable with good piano and guitar break. ‘High Voltage’ is not the Johnny Jano song, but another very good rocker with a great piano intro. We carry on with ‘That’s all I need’ a very good mid-tempo rocker with appealing melody, the type of song you’ll be you'll be whistling all day after a few listens. We end this record with 2 more good rockers, ‘Stop’ containing more frantic vocal and piano break and ‘I’m packin’.
Summary
Overall, a very good record to keep you boppin’ all night! Given his talent, I’m sure Dylan and his band could also treat us to some nice country song, but this will be for the next records, this one is definitely on the rockin’ side!
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Reviewed By Pony Express
Track List
Let the Good Times Roll
I thought it over
Don’t Fence me in
Bad case of a broken heart
My Baby left me
Why do you treat me so cruel
King of the Hop
Car Coat Beat
High Voltage
That’s all I need
I’m packin
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