ALBUM REVIEW: My Way – Udo Dirkschneider
Some people celebrate turning 70 surrounded by their family and friends. Others might book that once-in-a-lifetime trip to lands undiscovered. But if you’re UDO DIRKSCHNEIDER, you release an album of covers to kickstart the celebrations.
My Way is 17 tracks and 65 minutes of sheer indulgence, a love letter to Dirkschneider‘s youth. Before he became an icon as the leader of ACCEPT, and later U.D.O., he was running around the streets of post-war Wuppertal, diving in and out of rock clubs. And the covers he cracks out on My Way were the soundtrack.
Cover albums can be corny affairs, caught up in quashing artists’ individuality in favour of following the beaten track. On the other hand, they can be triumphant experiments, when artists twist the originals into something entirely unique. On My Way, Dirkschneider walks between the two sides like a man on a tightrope.
MOTÖRHEAD’s No Class and AC/DC’s T.N.T. don’t stray from the path, often sounding like hollow shells of their former selves. And whilst artists should always be encouraged to honour their heroes, the likes of QUEEN’s We Will Rock You and RAINBOW’s Man On The Silver Mountain should be left untouched if you can’t hit the high notes Freddie Mercury and Dio do till the cows come home.
When Dirkschneider swaps his heavy metal jukebox for other genres, My Way suddenly springs to life as more than just another ‘NOW! That’s What I Call Heavy Metal’ compilation. Under UDO’s watch, TINA TURNER’s motown classic They Call It Nutbush is transformed into a groovy, hard-rock hoedown, whilst Frankie Miller’s Jealousy becomes the rock-and-roll ballad Wacken has been waiting for.
Whilst there’s fun to be found with JUDAS PRIEST’s Hell Bent For Leather or THE ROLLING STONES’ Paint It Black, it’s ultimately Dirkschneider’s unique vocals that stop these covers from becoming nothing more than what they are. It’s only when he switches to his mother tongue – for the first time in his near 50-year career – on WOLFSHEIM’s Kein Zurück that you feel you’re getting something truly special out of this otherwise simple collection of songs.
Whilst My Way won’t win any album of the year accolades, the fact someone like Dirkschneider has stood the test of time and is still flying the flag for all things heavy is cause to celebrate.
Rating: 5/10
My Way is set for release on April 22nd via Atomic Fire Records.
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