This beginning of year starts with panache for the French southern rock with the vinyl release of a jewel of the field called Just Before by the well named Lyonnais of Diesel Dust on the label Brennus. They compile the most judicious of their two studio CD albums that included twelve tracks each, with a ferocious "Southern Rock" that amazed us at the time. The whole is now set in stone with two LP, sounding perfectly, with six tracks of the Ghost Dance of 2006, six tracks of the Second life of 2010, with a strong Skynyrd second version, competition between "The Last Rebel" and "Edge of Forever", blended Molly Hatchet - "Devil's Canyon", the whole presented on a cover which will go down in history by its beauty embellished with the great Sachem Sitting Bull of which the guitarist Raphael Porcherot,chief composer of Diesel Dust, is the spokesman. In opening on the A side, the title "Ghost Dance", of the name of their first album, with intro Pow Wow Indian song, good guitars plus a harmonica which gives amplitude, is put in music on a chiseled text. Then comes "Southern Boogie" like Hatchet on "Only Brothers and Friend", mid-tempo on "In Your Eyes" with a hell of guitars. The B side opens with "Goodbye my Friend", very Skynyrd with harmonized guitar parts. Then, "We Can Change" reminds the band Tangier, to conclude, an acoustic version of "Time To Be Free" which was used as a presentation title for Diesel Dust. Let's go to the second LP dedicated to the album "Second life" with a change of personnel concerning the singer, plus the contribution of another guitarist. It starts on the A side with "Devil Inside" performed by a formidable harmonicist, Nicolas Ciolfi, the French Magic Dick, with colorful flights of fancy, whether on the boogie blues "Man From New Orleans" or on the pearl "Lily». With a smooth intro which reminds the traditional American song "Shenandoah", “Lily” is full of erupting guitars, like on "Too long Time", "Whisky Drinkin Man", to end in a total explosion on "Time of Dying" on the B-side. A real godsend to hear this southern rock with the so warm sound of vinyl put into practice with ardor by inhabitants of Lyon (city in France). Thanks to them, the list of certified 100% southern vinyl pressings is growing, notice to the latecomers Calibre 12 and Truckers. Currently the counter is only three, the Bretons band of Bounty Hunter ("On the hunt" in 1986), the band Natchez from Champagne in 2015, and now Diesel Dust which prepares also incessantly a CD. We drool about it in advance!

Jacques Dersigny