Album Review: This Is How We Roll by Down N Outz

Ten years ago, Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott indulged his inner Victor Frankenstein and assembled a new creation, Down ‘n’ Outz, to pay tribute to the extended Mott The Hoople family. Now free from the shackles of playing cover versions, the band have become their own monster. Their third album is a treasure trove of (mostly) original music, indebted to the wonderfully OTT sounds of the ’70s. Also featuring fellow veterans from The Quireboys and Vixen, This Is How We Roll is a rockin’ romp down memory lane. In particular, Elliott thrives away from the pressures of his day job. Written and recorded over the past five years, and driven by bar-room pianos and Mick Ronson-style guitars, the likes of ‘Another Man’s War’ and ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ (not that one) are guaranteed party-starters. Elsewhere, the Elton John-steeped ballad ‘Let It Shine’ shows off the band’s considerable musical chops; ‘Music Box’ is an enjoyable oddity; and the ‘Life On Mars’-flavoured ‘Goodnight Mr. Jones’ is a fitting tribute to the Thin White Duke.