The Dead Daisies are back, but not how you might expect. Their new album Lookin’ for Trouble isn’t a straight-ahead rock record—it’s a gritty, stripped-down blues tribute that’s full of soul, stories, and spirit. I caught up with Doug Aldrich, who broke it all down—and man, the vibe is something else.
“We were in Muscle Shoals just to write,” Doug told me. “We had no plans to make a blues record. But being in that studio, with all that history… it just lit a fire.”
That studio? FAME Studios, where the walls practically echo with the voices of Aretha Franklin, Duane Allman, Etta James, and more.
“They had Aretha’s piano in the room. There was a handwritten letter from Duane Allman from 1969, saying he wanted to be a better man and play guitar better than ever,” Doug said. “That energy—it took over.”
One of the first songs they tried was “Crossroads.”
“We didn’t want to copy anyone. Cream did it famously, but we were like, let’s do our own thing—see where it takes us. And it worked.”
And they kept going. Every song on Lookin’ for Trouble was recorded live, raw, and with heart.
“We weren’t chasing perfection. We just let it roll—with mistakes or whatever—it is what it is.”
Drummer Sarah Tomek stepped in during the Muscle Shoals sessions, and according to Doug, she crushed it.
“She’s a top-tier Nashville player. When we’d ask for a groove, she’d go, ‘You want a Texas shuffle or a Chicago shuffle?’ She just knew it.”
The first single, “Boom Boom,” sets the tone for the whole album—laid back, soulful, and dripping with feel.
“It’s not in-your-face. It’s a backyard barbecue track. Just something to vibe out to.”
But the standout for Doug?
“Black Betty is the keystone. We gave it a completely different feel—simple, but heavy. And ‘The Thrill is Gone’? That was a challenge. I mean, how do you top B.B. King? You don’t. But we found our own way into it, and it came out deep, almost haunting.”
Even the video for “Boom Boom” bucks the rock cliches. Instead of flashy edits, it follows frontman John Corabi walking the streets of Lyon, France.
“It was moody and artsy. Just John being John. He’s got that presence, man—it made sense.”
Bottom line? Lookin’ for Trouble isn’t your typical covers album. It’s a tribute to the roots, filtered through the grit and groove of the Daisies’ style.
“It wasn’t the plan, but it felt right,” Doug said. “And sometimes that’s when the best stuff happens.”
🎧 The album is out now. Head to TheDeadDaisies.com to check it out, and catch them on tour in Europe this summer.
