Released March 2007
"Call it roots rock, folk rock, singer/songwriter rock, Americana, whatever you wish. The important thing to remember is that Mike June & The Dirty Doves' new CD, "Lovesick", is a real album. Not just a collection of songs put out as an album, this CD features 11 tracks that seem to convey a story about the highs and lows of love. Sure it's a topic covered over and over again in song, but when it's done well, as it is here, it can still have emotional resonance. Choosing to record and mix the album using only analog equipment works to great effect, as the music has more of a timeless sort of feel to it, like the way you can look back at an old Springsteen or Dylan album, and not think that it sounds so much of the year it came out (unlike say, a Madonna album). "Lovesick" is held together by Mike June's compelling vocals and perfectly accompanying instrumentation (which includes Hammond B-3 and Wurlitzer organ, slide guitar, lap steel, and accordion). At times up-beat and jangly, but more often mellow and melancholy, "Lovesick", is a great album." -Blowup Radio
Released December 2002
Formerly the leader of the band Wide Load Joad, June recorded this new album with his group, The Dirty Doves, after just 5 shows. It's a suprisingly mature effort, with alt-country overtones but a scruffy charm all its own.
A Bergen county native who now lives in Hoboken, June has a ragged but expressive voice that's perfect for his earnest songwriting. the leadoff track, "New York Radio," has the hyper, romantic feel of early Springsteen. "Somewhere across the Hudson in the heart of a small town/People shuffle their feet some are trying hard to get out/ jukeboxes in the bars are all broken and bust down/ There ain't nobody listening," June sings over a brisk beat. The bands uninhibited swagger makes the song work, and Bob Miano's pedal-steel guitar solo adds a truly distinctive touch.
"Burgundy and Brown" is another reckless rock tune, though most of this seven-track album is slower and moodier, without suffering from aloss of intensity. June's voice never loses that yearning edge, and the perfectly named Dirty Doves back him with grit and grace." Newark Star Ledger
