ALBUM REVIEW: Double Dog Dare – White Dog

A lot has changed for WHITE DOG since the release of their debut album back in 2021. While releasing an album in the middle of a global pandemic is less than ideal, not being able to tour and roadtest new material would be a hit for any band, let alone one looking to establish themselves. In search of a reset, the band parted ways with their lead singer Joe Sterling, and brought in Jake LaTouf. Oscar Favian was also brought in on keys to add more depth to their sound.

It’s impossible to know what Double Dog Dare might have sounded like without the changes, but the band have delivered an album of the year candidate. The record is soaked in 1970s influence and wraps around the listener like a warm blanket of nostalgia. Yet, despite the retro feel and repeated nods to days gone by, each song sounds fresh and exciting. There’s an incredible skill to reimagining and paying homage without just ripping off what came before, and WHITE DOG have mastered it.

A LED ZEPPELIN-inspired groove and twinkling guitar solo mark the arrival of the opening track Holy Smokes. The harmonies are perfect, and the organ brings the soul by the bucket load. The lead vocal from LaTouf is punchy and direct but it sits in the mix rather than over it. That means it complements rather than dominates the track. The same can be said for the guitar solo that impresses without being overbearing. This is a band working as a unit and the production and mastering brings that out brilliantly.

Title track Double Dog Dare is a little more pedestrian, but the guitar flourishes, and the tempo change in the final third provides a fun bounce. That’s the thing with this album, it’s going to make people smile. Whether by conjuring images of lying by the lake in the sun with friends or through tales of a bank heist like in F.D.I.C., listeners will be grinning from ear to ear.

If the first part of Double Dog Dare is a tip of the hat to the ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, the band glide into LYNARD SKYNYRD territory for Glenn’s Tune. The track is an ode to bassist Rex Pape‘s late father and wistfully winds along with a Southern rock twang. The song dives straight into a radio jingle, proving the band aren’t in danger of taking themselves too seriously.

While the jingle seems to be just a throwaway moment on the surface, it provides the perfect bridge into the slower and more deliberate opening of Frozen Shadows. The track itself is a seven-minute epic. The brilliant acoustic arrangement that gets things going is only a small part of the story, and the use of the organ is pure magic. It also continues that fine 70s tradition of being at least three songs in one. There are faster sections fired from long and winding prog-like detours with a wild vocal leaping across the track – it’s incredibly varied but flows together effortlessly.

The only track that dips below the quality of the rest is Lady Of Mars. It’s far from terrible but feels like a two-minute song stretched out to four for no real reason. The song wandering off on a tangent isn’t the problem – that’s almost par for the course here – it’s the lack of spark when it does so that fails to capture the imagination.

The acoustic and trippy Prelude works to introduce the final track The Last ‘Dam’ Song which in turn ensures the album ends on a high. The quicker sections in the middle and at the end push things along, and as usual, the guitar solos are stunning. It’s a great way to finish an album that’s bursting with highlights.

The journey to bring Double Dog Dare into the world was far from straightforward. But it’s impossible to say that the effort wasn’t worth it. Drummer John Amoss admitted the band learned a lot while recording the first album, and entered the studio this time around with a clear creative focus. The result is a record that captures exactly who WHITE DOG wants to be.

Each track on the album is different from the last, and nailing down a favourite is impossible. Double Dog Dare is classic Southern rock at its finest.

Rating: 9/10

Double Dog Dare is out now via Rise Above Records.

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