At the very heart of Thin Lizzy was Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham's twin guitar sound. It was as instantly recognisable as Phil Lynott's voice itself. As a mere whippersnapper of 18 years old Robertson found himself participating in the golden age of Thin Lizzy from 'Nightlife' all the way up to the 1978 classic live album 'Live And Dangerous'.

Outside of Thin Lizzy, and separated from Gorham, Robertson never really struck me as a distinctive guitar player in the way that say Gary Moore, Angus Young or David Gilmour so obviously are. But it's funny the perspective you gain over time because putting on this new 'Diamonds And Dirt' album you can tell instantly - just by his rhythm guitar playing - who the man behind it is. It almost picks up where his first post-Lizzy band - Wild Horses - left off.

Title track 'Diamonds And Dirt' features Robertson's signature sound of small choppy triads set over a chugging power chord drone. Putting further distance between himself and Wild Horses the vocals on this album are altogether more buoyant, supple and bright. All in all sounding like good listenable melodic rock. But as music fans we're always looking for that edge - that something special - something that makes you sit up and turn your head in surprise. And here it comes in the form of backing vocalist, and singer in her own right, Liny Wood. It's really subtle what she does, she has a magic that, for me at least, manages to elevate the song to new heights. Liny you have my attention. And Brian...I'm along for the ride.

The album's genesis began with Robertson handing producer Sören Lindberg a bag of cassettes that Robertson had accumulated over the years. An enthused Lindberg enlisted the help of (ex MSG) vocalist Leif Sundin, bassist Nalley Påhlsson (Treat) and drummer Ian Haugland (Europe) to get things moving. And move they did.

Amongst the Robertson-penned tracks on this album he also pays tribute to his past and to his musical loves - both old and new - with songs by Thin Lizzy, Frankie Miller and Jim White.

First to get a reworking is Thin Lizzy's 'It's Only Money' which has a riff which brings to mind Queen's 'Dragon Attack' - I guess Lizzy got there first. As a mega-Queen fan I've conveniently forgotten that fact. Rats. I guess I'll treat myself to a mind-wipe after this review is over.

Robertson almost completely overhauls another Lizzy number 'Running Back'. The feel is significantly different from the original having a barroom boogie feel to it. Robertson also throws in an alternate slow version of the track towards the back of the album, which features some great delta blues soloing. And, fittingly, 'Blues Boy' is pretty much a faithful rendering of an unreleased Thin Lizzy song that has only just appeared this year on this album and the deluxe edition of 'Jailbreak'.

But the highlights for me are the Frankie Miller songs (note to self: must listen to more Frankie Miller). 'Do It Till We Drop' tops the list as a near perfect party starter. While not as well-known as 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll' or 'God Gave Rock 'n' Roll To You II' it's certainly up there with the best of them. 'Mailbox' is no slouch either and here Leif sounds like Don Henley taking on a Bad Company song. Former Riverdogs frontman Rob Lamothe takes over the lead vocals for 'Ain't Got No Money', which should delight fans of The Faces and Free alike.

And that's very much the vein of the album right there. Heavy rock with a lot of hard boogie and a lot of hard blues. Leif Sundin has a cool gritty voice in the vein of Paul Rodgers - the kind of voice that always throws me - he sounds so comfortable it's as if he's doing nothing at all - until you try and sing along that is.

The deliriously quirky Jim White cover '10 Miles To Go On A 9 Mile Road' has a kind of Marmite quality to it. You'll either love it or hate it. You'll either think it fits with the album or is some kind of anomaly. Well I'm a Marmite lover myself and so it is with this track. I don't think I'd be far wrong in saying that Brian Robertson takes the lead vocals on this one. It's a good move. Suits him. It sounds like a cross between Beck and Talking Heads to me. Again Liny's extra touches further enhance the track giving it a B-52s hippy trippiness.

Contrary to what you might think - what with all the Lynott and Miller songs - this is a cohesive album. The vibe and personality of the album rises to the surface. The voices of Leif Sundin and Liny Wood complement each other perfectly - as to which one of them is 'Diamonds' and which one is 'Dirt' I'll leave them to fight that over between themselves.

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