::T R A C K S::

1. GET YOUR GUN (sample clip)
2. RE-RUN
3. DIRTSHACK (sample clip)
4. FIRST DEGREE (sample clip)
5. SHE'S A NATURAL (sample clip)
6. BROKEN MAN
7. BLUES DON'T LIE (sample clip)
8. FREEDOM FIGHT
9. BALL AND CHAIN
10. PILE OF GOLD
11. MIDNIGHT RIDER

The hardest part about reviewing a disc like Dave Osti's "Burning Down The Dirtshack" is pulling yourself away from the music long enough to actually scribble the damn thing. It's that addictive. Dirtshack is one of those rare, unapologetic rock discs that from the moment you drop the needle makes you feel as though you've known it forever, yet it is tantalizingly fresh. From the opening Skynyrd-esque riff of "Get Your Gun" to the final haunting strains of the Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider" (the only cover on the disc), Osti wields his razor-sharp axe and gritty vocals to the glorious limit. Osti sets fire to his Strat from the word "go" with a tight guitar/bass riff in machine gun lockstep in "Get Your Gun", then pours more diesel fuel on the flames in the wah-wah heavy "Re-Run". "Dirtshack" is up next, with an evocative Lenny Kravitz-inspired dual-guitar riff in octaves that is impossible to listen to without moving your feet. By the time "First Degree" hits, Osti is already inflicting third-degree burns with a deep modal groove that's reminiscent of early Aerosmith and Allman Brothers. "She's A Natural" is a lyrical jewel with an irrepressible James Brown-meets-Hendrix hook that will put a big smile on your face. By the midpoint, Osti has stepped away from the conflagration to slide a few marshmallows on his stick with the introspective and hypnotic "Broken Man". "Blues Don't Lie" throws a heap of coal back on the fire with a Zeppelin-heavy blues rock grind that brings the Dirtshack literally to its flashpoint. By the time the fire department shows up, Osti's into more pyrotechnic hooligans with "Freedom Fight". Flames licking at the sky, Osti and his groove rhythm section are burning down the house - the outro solo on "Freedom" being a singular work of art. Then just when you think the temperature can't go any higher, Osti pulls "Ball And Chain" out of his hat with a heavy, heart-wrenching syncopated pocket that takes on darker shades of AC/DC. Ever the showman, Osti then uncorks "Pile Of Gold", an up-tempo jump blues that empties the seats and puts everybody on the dance floor. Too bad, because the fire marshal just showed up, and he looks pissed! You will be humming this guitar hook for days. On the final cut, Osti shows us his sensitive side with a fresh twist on the Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider". As the last glowing embers of the dirtshack begin to cool against the backdrop of Osti's whiskey-soaked vocals, you'll find yourself reaching for the replay button over and over. Dirtshack is unadulterated blues rock in its purest form. If you're of the similar mind that the music industry basically ate the big one sometime around 1978, Dirtshack could easily be your new soundtrack. It is a crime on its face that Osti has toiled away so long in musical equanimity with no recognition and, in that sense, there is little satisfaction in dancing on the grave of the old music biz. In the end, it doesn't matter: the rock lives on, and it's burning hot in Dave Osti's Dirtshack! Johnny Hunkins - (Editor - Popular Hot Rodding Magazine) (11.11)