DAVE EVANS – Sinner

When you think of who has handled lead vocal chores for Hard Rock titans AC/DC, two names immediately spring to mind: Bon Scott and Brian Johnson. However, there was one guy who predated them both: Dave Evans. Evans was AC/DC’s very first singer, and recorded the single “Can I Sit Next to You Girl” with the band before being replaced by Scott in 1974. AC/DC would go on to fame and fortune without Evans, making him the vocal equivalent of The Beatles’ Pete Best.

Evans would remain on the Hard Rock scene with a series of sporadic releases over the years (one of which was a live AC/DC tribute album), bringing fans to his latest solo disc, the 12-song Sinner, which leads to the obvious question: is this just another AC/DC clone album? There are lots of those around, and if anyone would be inclined to make an AC/DC-sound-a-like disc, who better than a former member of the band?

While Sinner is certainly a Hard Rock disc with lots of big wailing guitars and sharp riffs, stomping rhythms, simple lyrical content, and scratchy vocals, it manages to stand on its own. Evans and his backing band rock hard on this album, but they don’t rip off AC/DC.

Sinner is one of those albums that you could send back in time machine to the mid-70s or early 1980s and it wouldn’t sound out of place; it’s very much an unpretentious “old-school” album, hearkening back to an earlier time when Rock was uncomplicated and straightforward. At the same time, it doesn’t sound dated or like it doesn’t belong in the modern era, which goes to show you that good Hard Rock is timeless. This may not be a “for the ages” album that will be remembered with reverence by future generations, but for this timeline, it’s good enough.

If you’re looking for virtuoso musicianship and searing, incisive lyrics, you won’t find it on Sinner; this is crowd-pleasing Party Rock, meant to be played loud. It’s energetic, raunchy, and upbeat, and is best enjoyed with your fists in the air. The backing band — The Badasses — cranks out some solid riffs and big drum patterns in support of the gravel-voiced Evans, who actually sounds a bit like Rod Stewart on a few songs here. Evans won’t bore you with any downbeat material or mawkish ballads; the closest this album comes to sentimentality is with the closing song “The Thunder Down Under,” a simple but stirring tribute to Evans’ homeland of Australia.

Sinner from Dave Evans isn’t the most original Hard Rock album you’ll ever hear, but it’s still a solid effort and a fun listen.