Album review : BRIAN ROBERTSON – Diamonds And Dirt (2 CD Reissue)

May 26th, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date 29.05.26]

Scottish guitarist/ songwriter Brian Robertson played on what were arguably Thin Lizzy’s top 5 studio albums.

Over a 4 year period, 1974-78, he contributed as guitarist and co-writer with Phil Lynott on Nightlife, Fighting, Jailbreak, Johnny The Fox and Bad Reputation, a powerful handful of hard hitting rock albums.

30+ years later :
Robertson recorded his first solo album, Diamonds and Dirt (2011).

A man of multiple contacts and admirers in the music business, he assembled a formidable line up of singer Leif (Treat/Schenker/Norum) Sundin, Bassman Nalle (Treat) Pahlsson, and drummer, Ian (Europe) Haughland.
Jimmy Page described Sundin as “a young Paul Rogers”, so we knew we were in for a treat (oops… sorry).

Stripped down, with the album’s bluesy stylings pared back, if not to a minimum, then to a streamlined version of what came before. This is not what we expected.

Is he drawing back the curtain to show us where his heart has been, or is the long haul of hard rock finally writing itself into the music?

We’ll go for the former. On ‘Diamonds And Dirt’, the track, and ‘Passion’ he displays his love of mid eighties AOR – punchy, melodic – this could’ve been Foreigner. Obviously written long before 2011, these tracks are never as dazzling as the stuff he recorded in his previous life with Jimmy Bain, but there’s grit in it and a surprising amount of finesse.

As you might expect, he covers a few of his good friend Frankie Miller’s songs. A walloping version of ‘Ain’t Got No Money’ (a familiar theme in the Miller canon) and a commercialised, seventies’ classic rock styling of ‘Mailbox’ light up the album.

The Thin Lizzy covers – ‘It’s Only Money’ and ‘Running Back’ – were a mistake. Uninspired salutes to the band that provided him with a shot at fame.

The down and dirty ‘Blues Boy’ should be set aside as the album’s standout. It’s a cover of the track from Thin Lizzy’s Jailbreak album, strongly flavoured with a lovin spoonful of Memphis Soul.

It’s clearly what Robertson was aiming for here, and it hits the mark with laser guided accuracy.

The reissue has been expanded by adding two bonus tracks. And in fact the whole package has been expanded by adding a full CD of instrumentals. VFM. ***

Review by Brian McGowan

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Power Plays w/c 25 May 2026

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THE SKBS The Prying Eye (indie)
AGAINST THE CURRENT Dead Man Walking (indie)
ICONIC Tears Keep On Falling (Frontiers)

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