Black Rose: A Rock Legend

Decades after their heyday, Thin Lizzy remains a name worthy of being dropped by hard-rock fans in the know. (Ask, for instance, Henry Rollins.) Black Rose, though relatively unknown in the U.S., was another massive hit in the Irish band's homeland - and for good reason. Both intimately familiar sounding and boundary-pushing, the disc pounds with the heaviosity of prime Lizzy while offering the sort of sharp melodies that leader Phil Lynott always brought to his songs. There's plenty of friendly city-kid wisdom on display here ("Do Anything You Wanna Do," "Toughest Street in Town"), while "My Sarah," an ode to Lynott's young daughter and "Roisin Dubh (Black Rose)," a roots-conscious epic, carry the listener down new roads without getting pretentious. Meanwhile, a writing collaboration between Lynott and Ultravox's Midge Ure on "Get Out of Here" points the way toward the latter's New Wave-smart solo work.