HEAD JOB

(Universal)

3 stars

When you're the drummer in AC/DC's engine room you don't hook up and play with anyone in your down time. As such, Phil Rudd's first solo album has been two decades in the making; a labour of love he's crafted in between tours in his adopted home of New Zealand. Long-time friends Allan Badger and Geoffrey Martin chipped in lyrically and provide the strings, while Badger and Rudd's throaty vocals come with honesty, guts, a wink and a nod. "There are no tricks or sequencing or samples ... it's all real," Rudd said about the recording. Hardly surprising. The cheeky title track, Repo Man and album closer Wait Till I Get My Hands on You work best at considerable volume.