CD Review: Dan Miraldi

Dan Miraldi's got sort of an asshole swagger about him that goes back generations. It's the kind that's required if you're going to sing about "the shimmy in your hips" and title an album Rock N Roll Band! If it wasn't for a reference to skinny jeans in "Mystical Queen," you might think these songs were written decades ago. Still, the chord progressions are delightful, as are the title track's handclaps and "whoas." Miraldi is clearly a Springsteen disciple, but he steers away from the pretension found in other meat-and-potatoes revivalists and brings it all back to that asshole swagger, which picks up steam (and charm) when Miraldi sings, "We both know you're going home with me tonight." — Dan Weiss