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If you, as I am, are an avid Thin Lizzy fan, Brian “Robbo” Robertson should be no stranger since he has been playing on some of Lizzy’s premier albums. As if that was not enough, Mr. Robertson was also the axe man on a Mötörhead album as well as in his own project, Wild Horses. Since I have been admiring his previous work in those groups I was really looking forward to this, his first solo album ever.

It is a mixed bag of diamonds though and there is quite a lot of dirt thrown in as well. It is not only mixed quality wise but the material is also mixed in the aspect that some of it is very old Lizzy-era stuff and some of it is of more resent date. Nothing bad can be said about the guitar playing and soloing of course but to me this album lacks “something”. For some reason it does not touch me in any way. After listening to it numerous times I cannot say that there is any one track on the album that has left a lasting impression on me. Maybe the melodies are not good enough; the production is not for sure.

There is nothing offensive about Diamonds and Dirt though and I my respect for Brian Robertson as a musician has not been diminished the least but this album, rather solid as it is does not make for a favourite of mine.  If you are a big fan of Thin Lizzy you should pick it up, if you have only a passing interest in classic hard rock this is not the place to start.

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