REVIEW: Danko Jones – Born a Lion (2002)

THE BEST FUCKING COLLABORATION WEEK EVER

My very first THREE-WAY (review)!  For today’s installment, Aaron AND James from the KMA and I are all reviewing the same disc.  Check out all three reviews!

Aaron:  DANKO JONES – Born a Lion
James:  DANKO JONES – Born a Lion

DANKO_0001DANKO JONES – Born a Lion (2002 Universal)

How fucking cool is Danko Jones?!  I love this Torontonian rock idol, just as much as Danko himself loves the Rock.  His enthusiasm for hard rock and heavy metal is contagious.  His music basks in it.  You can hear his passion for the Rock in the grooves.  He’s incredibly prolific, and monumentally talented as a writer, singer, and guitar player.  The band itself (also called Danko Jones) is just a trio, so he has a lot of bases to cover and he does it with aplomb out the wazoo.

I don’t own all the Danko records (and I don’t know anybody who does) but of the ones I have, the debut long-player Born a Lion is still my favourite.  It was a favourite back in the Record Store days too, receiving daily store play as a new release.  Joe “Big Nose” felt that Danko was as close as anybody had gotten to the vibe of Thin Lizzy since Phil Lynott.  I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that fully, but I see what he was getting at.

The swampy blues guitar that opens “Play the Blues” is just a feint.  This is a slamming, heavy rocking blaze.  “If you wanna know how to play the blues, get yourself a woman! YEAH!” howls Jones.  It’s an adrenaline shot to the heart, eyes ablaze as “Play the Blues” tears from the speakers.  “Pick it sweet! Slide it slow! WOO!” Jones unleashes a killer solo as you reach for your asthma inhaler!

If you’re not hooked by now, then you probably don’t like rock and roll.  “Lovercall” was the single, for which a killer video was made.  Getting into a groove this time, Jones instructs us on how to pick up a lady.

You see when I was growin’ up…
I got the inside scoop,
I used to watch all the older fellas work down the block,
that’s right when they used to work I used to watch,
and when I watched I learned…
The Lovercall, baby!

Danko Jones has a way of using his sassy spoken word verses to maximize the cool factor, before sliding into a chorus that you can sing along to. “Lovercall” is the best example of this.

So are you in or are you out?  That’s all Danko needs to know on “Sound of Love”.  Not as mindblowing as the first two, it’s still a swaggering confident rock song based on a solid groove.  “Every time you see her, she’ll get a little hotter,” whispers Jones, and you certainly believe him because he sure does sound like an expert in such matters.  “Now where the pretty girls at? ‘Cause I’m the man with the black hat.”  There you go.  Free advice from Danko – black hats are in, but he says it with so much swagger that you have to believe there are some serious mysteries of the universe opening up before us!

“Papa” is the song from which the title Born a Lion was derived.  “I was born a lion, and like a cat I’m gonna dance.”  Sure, Jones has only one thing on his mind, but who gives a fuck?  I ain’t leaving now; I’m sticking around for the Rock.  “Soul on Ice” has a mean AC/DC prowl that could have fit on an album such as Black Ice.

DANKO_0002“Word is Bond” is dynamite up the ass with no fuse!  The energy is unbelievable, and Danko’s swagger is always intact.  When he says “If you want it, I will do it — my word is my bond!” I believe him.  This is another AC/DC rocker, and it absolutely tears up the joint, leaving nothing but rubble and ashes.   But Danko Jones will survive like a cockroach and live on to meet more ladies, as he does on “Way to My Heart”.  Don’t let the title fool you, this ain’t no Warrant or Whitesnake ballad.  Nope, it’s all rock and groove and balls.  “Let’s go on the side of the road, I can be your Romeo.”  There’s no romance here, it’s sheer lust.

Racial diversity is the theme on “Caramel City”, the first time Danko’s not singing about girls on this record.  It’s kind of a weird chorus (spelling out the word “C-A-R-A-M-E-L”) but it’s good enough for me.  “Get Outta Town” is more fun, another blazing fast rock groove.  It’s infectious, but I don’t believe him when he sings, “All the girls got boyfriends, but man I don’t got a girl.”  Sorry Jones.  I’m not buying it.

More ass-kicking transpires via the speakers on the chugging “Suicide Woman”.  How much more ass-kicking?  A lot, as “Suicide Woman” follows the general template of smoking from start to finish.  Danko keeps the guitar solo to the basics because let’s face it, we just wanna rock at this point.  Concluding the proceedings is the incredible “Love is Unkind”, quite possibly the most smoking-est track on the record.

Let’s be blunt.  Danko Jones’ schtick can wear thin, but the album isn’t long. You either like this band or you don’t.  I like this band.  And I love Born a Lion.

5/5 stars

Final note — some editions have two bonus tracks.  I intend to find them.

Final final note — my copy came with a Danko Jones sticker that I still have.  I wonder if Aaron and James have theirs?

Monday: QUIET RIOT – Metal Health

36 comments

  1. Nope, no sticker. Mine was a junk shop find so I’d have been incredibly lucky. No bonus tracks either, I didn’t know those existed. But of course you did!

    I dunno whether Danko’s schtick would ever grow old. I’m too busy rocking out to think about it! ;)

    Also: “he has a lot of bases to cover and he does it with aplomb out the wazoo” is a mighty fine combination of words, well done.

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  2. Pingback: Collaboration Week #2: Danko Jones – Born A Lion | keepsmealive

  3. Great review, Mike. I only own one Danko Jones album (We Sweat Blood), but it’s real enjoyable. Didn’t really think that I’d need to pick up any others until reading this. Dare say I’ll have a wee look when I’m out and about. In the meantime, I’m now in the mood to listen to We Sweat Blood!

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  4. I had to check my spreadsheet to discover that I actually own this on CD and not an iTunes purchase. But I would have bought it years after release so I suspect it doesn’t have a sticker with it.

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        1. Band promo sticker on the inside. It’s the white sticker with the lion on it, in the gallery above. Coulda thunk to label it. Nah, too lazy now!

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  5. I OWN THEM ALL! And they all rock!

    With a few exceptions… We sweat blood, never too loud, and rock ‘n’ roll is black and blue…all still great albums, just not the same molten rawk hammer to the head I am used to from danko.
    Sleep is the enemy, below the belt, born a lion, and even b-sides, are great places to start!

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    1. YEAH T-REV! I’m surprised I didn’t see you comment on my Jaymz Bee review from a few days ago!

      Danko is one of a few artists who use quality tracks as B-sides, I know that much!

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      1. I never got into that one, but I did buy into the whole lounge thing… Esquivel was my lounge of choice
        “Mucha muchacha” baby!

        Clint east woody Allan Alda is a pretty brilliant title though… I will give him that.

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        1. Ah yes, the master of seduction, Juan Garcia Esquivel! Mucho Muchaha was even in The Big Lebowski. Gotta say I prefer Jaymz for sheer whackiness.

          Hey are we going to the Mississauga record show this year?

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      1. If you have ever seen danko live, you might also ponder how his neck is able to hold up his head at the end of the show…he rocks harder that the devil throwing devil-horns!
        And…he’s coming back to Toronto and London!!!

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      2. I wouldn’t doubt it knowing T-Rev. He built for me 2 or even 3 CD towers over the years. He is the master of CD tower engineering. I shit you not! His CD tower was equipped with a black light, just because he could!

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  6. I’d only heard that one radio hit from the late 90s – good aggressive energy, but like you mentioned, wondered if it would wear thin. Glad to hear he keeps the momentum for this full short set!

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  7. How fucking cool? Very fucking cool. Enjoyed this one, just as I really enjoy Mr Jones. Toss up between Sleep … and this one for me – I absolutely love ‘Sound of Love’, first track of his I heard.

    Canadians rock!

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    1. Thanks man! Welsh people rock too!

      Sleep is the Enemy is due for a revisit.

      When Danko was starting out, he played here in town and was hitting on one of my female friends, she says he is EXACTLY like his song lyrics.

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  9. You kniw, Danko Jones is a killer live band. So much energry and attitude and they rock so hard. But on record most of their stuff is really dull and forgettable. But I’d see them in concert anytime.

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