Nazareth seem to be playing up the “Z” in their name as their previous album was titled The Newz and now we have Big Dogz. Okay, I get it. This is a pretty simple concept, which could be said about this approach to the songwriting on the album. That said, Nazareth is still sounding like Nazareth, which is to say that vocalist Dan McCafferty is still boasting the best gasoline soaked singing voice on the planet. As he ages the damn thing gets rougher, crazier, spookier and at times painful sounding. I would hate to hear what this guy sounds like when he has a sore throat. It is that voice, however, that has separates Nazareth from the rest of the pack.

Most notable on this album are the softer songs. McCafferty scores big on “Butterfly,” which is a honest to goodness tearjerker. “When Jesus Comes to Save the World” and “Time and Tide” continue with the excellent mellow tunes. The band does an amazing job of looking at the world through their eyes and where their life is at today, creating many poignant moments. The opening song, “Big God’s Gonna Howl” and “Watch Your Back” contain that bad boy rock vibe the band is famous for. “Radio” would have a chance at being a hit if radio would pull their head out of their ass.

At the end of the day, this is a solid album. There are a few songs that are less worthy than others but seeing the band open up with their emotions, both lyrically and musically, make this a most interesting collection of music.