Metal Underground.com

With a gloriously big, dumb RAWK sound that feels like someone threw AC/DC, Motorhead, Thin Lizzy and the Foo Fighters into a blender, Danko Jones is back with "Rock And Roll Is Black And Blue." Even when this Canadian trio gets halfway pensive, it's just about impossible to take this music seriously — and that is most definitely intended as a compliment. Though the songs have plenty of pop sheen, there's still just enough grit to keep things from feeling too lightweight.

Singer/guitarist Danko Jones lets his inner Angus Young (or is it Billy Gibbons — or do I really care?) out on the gloriously stupid "Legs," in which he sings the praises of statuesque women — and how he likes legs "wrapped around me" and "up on top of me." As if that's not enough, there's the singalong "la-la-la-la-legs" chorus that Jones intentionally(?) takes way over the top.

You want Foo Fighters punk-infused sounds? Try "Terrified." Motorhead-style punk speed? "Conceited" will do you just fine.

The one time the band veers into straight-up rip-off territory is "Always Away," with a guitar part that feels too close to AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" and "Who Made Who" for it to be coincidental. Not that it's a bad song, mind you.

Jones' cohorts, drummer Atom Willard and bassist John Calabrese acquit themselves well throughout, with Jones' drumming on "You Wear Me Down" feeling especially potent in a John Bonham kind of way.

That's not to say that there are no flaws to be had here. "Get Up" and "Type Of Girl" both feel a little too poppy. I get that the band is going for a Thin Lizzy feel on the latter track, but it feels much too lightweight. Ditto for the punky "I Don't Care," which adds little to the album.

Straight-up rock served up with a healthy dose of humor, Danko Jones' "Rock And Roll Is Black And Blue" is smarter than its intentionally(?) dumb lyrics would suggest. It's plenty fun to listen to — and that's really what matters.