With "For A Dollar", New York band JOHNNY SMOKE serves up its second offering after their debut "Crime Don't Pay Yet!" seven years ago. Not much has changed musically. It is still U.S. hard rock deeply entrenched in the seventies. Aerosmith, Grand Funk Railroad, and Ted Nugent are the graphic musical examples. It's good that there are still bands out there who don't give a rat's ass about modern trends and just doggedly do their thing. That seems to be JOHNNY SMOKE's credo and it is what makes this album so instantly likeable. The ten songs on offer are varied; there is straight rock and there is a blues touch in places. Humor is no stranger to the lyrics. The whole enchilada isn't exactly my thing, but I have to credit the band for recording an album in that particular style which I find darn entertaining. In a smoky bar (do they exist anymore after all the smoking bans?) JOHNNY SMOKE will probably deliver the goods even better.
