Think it's fair to say that nobody was expecting this. Prior to their first album, my basic knowledge of the Role Models was as the perpetual support band for other bands I'd frequently go and see at places like the 12 Bar and the Gaff but "The Go To Guy" quickly established them as serious contenders in their own right with tracks like "Saturday Night Sailor" and "Where They Half-Know My Name" proving that Rags was a pretty damn good songwriter. Two more excellent albums (2016's "Forest Lawn" and 2018's "Dance Moves") would follow in quick succession before Rags put the band on a temporary hiatus to concentrate on his new band the Digressions with drummer Simon joining him there and guitarist Nick going on to Duncan Reid & The Big Heads. I have a feeling though that the world hasn't seen the last of the Role Models and suffice to say that when that fourth album comes I'm very much looking forward to it.
19. JASON & THE SCORCHERS - "Halcyon Times" (2010)
Aided and abetted by Ginger Wildheart, "Halcyon Times" was a storming comeback from Jason & The Scorchers which certainly runs their best albums from the mid-'80s very close and is comfortably the best thing they've done since 1986's under-rated "Still Standing". Songs such as "Moonshine Kinda Guy", "Mona Lee", "Fear Not Gear Rot" and "Beat On The Mountain" saw Jason Ringenberg and co effortlessly tapping into that classic Scorchers vein of songwriting to produce an album that really did exceed all expectations. The group have continued to tour through the decade and hopefully a new album will emerge at some point as we enter the 2020's.
18. THE BRUTALISTS - "The Brutalists" (2018) (Review here)
Another album that really came out of left field. Upon hearing that ex-Quireboy Nigel Mogg had joined forces with ex-LA Guns guitarist Mick Cripps to form a new band, most people were probably expecting some sort of well-trodden blues-glam path but the Brutalists were anything but, merging punk, new wave and ska to superb effect on their debut to create something which owed various nods to the Jam, Bowie and Dr Feelgood but kept things varied enough to keep you guessing throughout. This year's follow-up "We Are Not Here To Help" ran it very close and hopefully proves that the Brutalists are set to be a major force on the music scene for many years to come.
17. MICHAEL MONROE - "Sensory Overdrive" (2011)
It probably won't be a surprise to those who know me to find out that Ginger Wildheart's fingerprints are all over the upper reaches of this list but there's a simple reason for that - the guy has a habit of turning the vast majority of stuff he touches to gold and when he joined Michael Monroe's band after Hanoi Rocks split up in 2010, he quickly added his muscle to the songwriting team to produce an absolutely killer set of tunes for their debut album with "Trick Of The Wrist", "'78" and Monroe's collaboration with Lemmy "The Fine Art Of Debauchery" setting out this band's stall in fine style. Ginger would quickly be off to other pastures but Monroe has continued his fine run of form through the rest of the decade with 2013's "Horns And Halos", 2015's "Blackout States" and this year's "One Man Gang" all being fine efforts as well with the likes of Steve Conte, Sam Yaffa, Rich Jones and (for the second album) Dregen all stepping up to the plate with finesse to complement the evergreen Mr Monroe. Long may he reign.
16. THE LOYALTIES - "Till The Death Of Rock 'n' Roll" (2013) (Review here)
Sad that this long-awaited second album proved to be the Loyalties' swansong with Tom Spencer now fronting the Professionals and Rich Jones joining Michael Monroe's band. But it was a hell of a way to go out, a more than worthy follow-up to 2008's classic "So Much For Soho" with the sort of enjoyable knockabout but energetic rock 'n' roll that the group were so well known for coming to the fore on the likes of "I Am The Blues", "Pheromone Jones" and the countrified "The Will To Kill". A much missed band but they left behind one hell of a legacy in their recorded output.
15. KORY CLARKE - "Payback's A Bitch" (2014) (Review here)
Kory has kept himself busy through the decade putting out a few Warrior Soul albums to varying degrees of success (2012's "Stiff Middle Finger" was a good solid effort, 2017's "Back On The Lash" and 2019's "Rock 'n' Roll Disease"...erm, very much weren't to put it kindly) but it was this solo effort that frankly stands head and shoulders above anything else he's done this decade for me with Clarke chucking whatever the hell he felt like into the mix (country, funk-rock, new wave, blues, big epic widescreen ballads, it's all there basically) and surprising everybody by hitting the bullseye pretty much every time. Proof that, when he puts his mind to it anyway, Clarke is one hell of a musical talent and hopefully the new decade will see him get things back on track after the last couple of disappointments.
14. THE GREAT MALARKEY - "Doghouse" (2017) (Review here)
Barrelling on the scene with some truly incendiary live performances and a decent debut in 2012's "Badly Stuffed Animals", it took folk-punk types the Great Malarkey a good five years to follow it up but "Doghouse" really was more than worth the wait. While long-standing live favourites "Duck And Dive" and "Beware The Temptress" kept the rave-ups of yore going, songs like "Shame", "Running Endlessly" and "Take It Kindly" saw a more thoughtful and reflective countrified style coming to the fore to good effect with some good lyrics to back things up as well. Still out there and gigging and hopefully a third album will be on the way soon.
13. ALICE COOPER - "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" (2011)
Comfortably Alice's best album of the decade, "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" really was a big everything-but-the-kitchen-sink effort which served as a perfect thematic sequel to the 1975 classic of almost the same name. With a guest list as long as your arm and several songs which were more than welcome additions to his canon ("Last Man On Earth", "Runaway Train", "What Baby Wants", "When Hell Comes Home"), this was proof that the guy still had it. Unfortunately the follow-up, 2017's "Paranormal" felt a bit by-numbers and his two albums with the Hollywood Vampires consisted of a largely superfluous covers album and this year's inconsistent but occasionally brilliant "Rise". I think it's safe to say though that Alice will be around for a while yet and with a new album featuring the classic Alice Cooper band due this year, there's plenty of reason to be optimistic for the future.
12. WOLFSBANE - "Wolfsbane Save The World" (2011) (Review here)
Wolfsbane were generally remembered as the class clowns of the first wave of Britrock so I think it's safe to say that when they made their comeback at the start of the decade with an album that probably ranks as their best, it definitely surprised a few people. But "Wolfsbane Save The World" really did deserve the accolades it got - solid, varied and supremely tuneful from the opening rush of "Blue Sky" through the anthemic "Smoke And Red Light" to the Steinman style bombast of "Illusion Of Love", this was the sound of a band spreading their creative wings and well and truly soaring. They remain active to this day although a follow-up has yet to surface - hopefully though it will do at some point in the next decade.
11. THE DOWN 'N' OUTZ - "This Is How We Roll" (2019) (Review here)
Prior to this, their third album, the Down 'n' Outz had simply been Def Leppard's Joe Elliot plus three of the Quireboys putting a Mott The Hoople/Ian Hunter covers band together. However, "This Is How We Roll", their first originals album, really made people sit up and take notice, a shameless throwback to the days of the '70s when rock stars really did feel like beings zoomed in from another plane entirely but with enough respect for the genre and killer tunes of its own to well and truly soar. The likes of "Another Man's War", "Boys Don't Cry" and "Goodnight Mr Jones" really were absolute classics and showed that this band had more than enough chops to stand on their own two feet.
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