Danko Jones
Below the Belt
Aquarius Records

It’s gonna be awfully hard to avoid peppering this review with all the pugilistic puns that are bouncing around in my bearded brain like blind bats, what with the album title and the fact that Danko Jones comes screaming out of the corner in this particular fight with – if you can believe it – more attitude than ever before, spittin’ and snarlin’ about what has become his rock n’ roll raison d’être: broads, break-ups, bad thoughts, and bullish bravado. So I’ll just go with it because it’s as if there’s a whole new law that needs layin’ down, man, and the only person that’s got balls big enough to do it is ol’ Mr. Jones himself (with the help of misters Calabrese and Cornelius, naturally). He’s the world heavyweight champion, see, and while there’s been plenty of times he’s floated like a butterfly, he’s at his best when he stings like a bee. And brother, the hive is buzzing like a blown amp and somebody needs to pay.

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