The Milk Men — Holy Cow! (The Milk Men Records)

The Milk Men always deliver.

And in these confusing days of non-dairy and lactose free this is still full fat, blues-infused, countryfied, Southern rock at its most refreshing.

Holy Cow! eschews the herd mentality: this band’s always been a different beast.

And on album number five The Milk Men strike out to sound groovier and grittier than ever before.

Multiple UK Blues Awards nominees, the classy quartet straddle so many genres it’s often difficult to keep up.

But it’s the sign of a special record that the 10 tracks here fly by — singalong choruses and Adam Norsworthy’s earworm riffs making for one hell of a ride.

Jamie Smy’s warm, husky tone is like an oak-barrelled whisky. Better with age, The Milk Men’s frontman has never sounded so authentic.

Or so ambitious.

Holy Cow! marks a notable evolution as one of the UK’s best kept secrets makes a bold play for long overdue mainstream success.

And it’s when The Milk Men go all Skynyrd-meets-Eagles (skip to Misty Road) that they sound most convincing.

According to Smy this is the closest the band’s come to capturing their sound in the studio.

It’s a sound that’s so right for 2024. Holy Cow! takes the bull by the horns.

The Milk Men take the Misty Road

When Rushonrock was urged to check out The Milk Men we weren’t so sure.

The cheesy name’s a definite barrier to entry.

But we did raise a smile delving into a back catalogue featuring Gold Top, Spin The Bottle, the Mini Milk EP and more.

There’s an element of fun to everything that The Milk Men do.

But Holy Cow!’s a surprisingly serious body of work.

And it would be a mistake to let a frankly daft band name influence a false perception.

Hungover is a hard-ass Southern rock gem.

Sassy layers of soul and funk jostle for position on the damn near perfect Give A Little Love.

And the Quireboys-esque bar room rock and roller Easy Touch has the feel of a future live favourite.

Those craving the blues don’t need to wait long.

Holy Cow!’s beefed up by back-to-back belters Bad News Blues and Fill Her Shoes as Smy and co. retrace their celebrated roots.

But it’s country-styled ballad Fool For Loving You and Misty Road’s soothing Southern rock refrain that proves The Milk Men really are the cream of the crop.