Band:	Phil Rudd
Album:	Head Job
Style:	Hard rock
Release date:	August 29, 2015
A review by:	omne metallum

01. Head Job
02. Sun Goes Down
03. Lonely Child
04. Lost In America
05. Crazy
06. Bad Move
07. No Right
08. The Other Side
09. Forty Days
10. Repo Man
11. When I Get My Hands On You

Ringo did it better.  

Everyone's favourite part-time AC/DC drummer and part-time jailbird Phil Rudd once released a solo album during one of the quiet moments in the band's career. While it is rare to see the drummer of a band take a step out from behind the drum stool, Phil Rudd stepped off the drum riser and up to the front of the stage with his first, and so far only, solo album Head Job. Demonstrating that there is a good reason why drummers often stay behind the kit, Head Job is perhaps a glorified jam session between friends, one that must have been fun for those involved, but boring for those who weren't party to it. 

Contrary to the PR spiel surrounding the album, Head Job is more rocking chair than rock and roll, with its gentle approach being both uninspired and unentertaining. The mild blues rock of the title track is a harbinger of things to come, with the rest of the album following in the same uneventful vein. While the music is inoffensive, it is pedestrian and uneventful to the point that you wonder why this album was released. 

As you can imagine, the drums are higher in the mix than they otherwise would be on a rock album. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as they do hold the groove down for the songs. The issue comes from Rudd's style. Rudd's laid-back groove works well in the confines of AC/DC, as it gives the songs an anchor on which to ground themselves; though, it is telling that few people mention them as the highlight of their classics. Head Job shines a light on them and inadvertently exposes them rather than giving them exposure, with "Lonely Child" perhaps summing up this issue best. 

Joining Rudd on this jam session of an album are various musicians whom the drummer had been playing with in his spare time. While the band aren't bad, they do give off the pub band vibe...in that they sound like a group of friends who have somehow stumbled upon a record deal when they play for fun down at the local bar. "No Right" has a nice disco vibe to it and would likely have got some feet tapping down at the Dog & Duck, but, why it's on Head Job, I cannot fathom. 

Picking a good or bad song is hard, given the fact each track has little in the way of unique character. It feels like you're picking your favourite colour of grey in a dark room. "Crazy" is an OK track that will get your head bopping along and "When I Get My Hands On You" has a good ZZ Top vibe. The blues guitar is enjoyable if not particularly strong. The Carpenters could give tracks like "The Other Side" a run for its money in terms of having a sharper edge. 

So, there is a reason why it's unlikely that you've heard this album — and plenty of reasons why you're unlikely to hear it again after giving it a go. Head Job is likely the dullest album you'll hear in a long time, something that is so neutral and boring even Switzerland would be aghast.