Review: The Outlaw Orchestra – Back Under The Covers

September 30th, 2022

Reviewer: Dan Mann

While some bands are content throwing in the odd cover or two into their album track listings, The Outlaw Orchestra are about to release a five track EP of covers ranging from The Beatles to Motörhead!

Frontman Dave Roux explained that ‘Back Under The Covers‘ was never intended to be reviewed by the music press and was in fact just a way for the band to deal with those lockdown blues!

So first impressions. Well it sounds like a band having fun, a what the hell attitude of let’s just do things our way, something pretty obvious from the outset with the intro to first track, The Beatles – ‘Come Together‘ having added banjo, but hey it works, and works damn well. With the afor mentioned banjo and the southern tinged vocals of Dave Roux, it gives the song a breath of fresh air.

The second track takes us back to the heady days of the sixties with The Small Faces classic ‘Itchy Coo Park‘. The cover isn’t too far from the original, but is delivered in an honest way, not trying to be clever, giving the song the respect it deserves.

Next up is a song I love, Joe Walsh/Barnstorm‘s ‘Rocky Mountain Way‘. The southern tinge messers Dave, Pete & Ryan have added to the song again just works and it’s certainly my favorite on the EP.

New life is breathed into second to last track The Band‘s ‘Up On Cripple Creek‘, a song that’s over 50 years old but sounds as fresh today as when it first came out. I guess this is more of an obvious cover for The Outlaw Orchestra as it’s not exactly far musically form the band’s core genre.

And so to the final song of the EP. Hmm what’s an obvious choice? Well Motörhead‘s ‘Iron Fist‘ certainly wouldn’t be one. Maybe Motörhead‘s ‘Whorehouse Blues‘, but no let’s just go a bit bonkers to finish things off. Just turn off any memories of the original and enjoy this cover version. It should not work, but like I said for the EP’s first track, it does and does so fantastically. A foot tapping delight!

I must say it’s great to listen to a collection of covers and not on occasion wince, or think no, no, no, please let it stop! Grab yourselves a copy and sit back and enjoy a band enjoying playing some of their favorite songs.