Dana Fuchs – Live In Denmark
Ruf Records – 2026
10 tracks; 57 minutes
Dana Fuchs’ last album, 2022’s Borrowed Time had the misfortune to be released while COVID was still raging; consequently it rather went under the radar. Fast forward to October 2025 and Ruf suggested that Dana and her band record a live album on a single night in Denmark, majoring on tracks from that ‘lost’ recording. These ten tracks paint a clear picture of Dana’s powerful, gritty vocals and her solid band: Jon Diamond on guitar and B/V’s, Kevin McKall on bass and Piero Perelli on drums; Dana handles all lead vocals and plays some acoustic guitar and percussion. Eight of the songs were written by Dana and Jon, Kevin contributing to one and Sandy Carroll and Mark Narmore joining in on one composition; the two remaining tracks are covers of a Stones classic and a timely revisiting of one of Gil Scott Heron’s protest songs.
The album includes six cuts from Borrowed Time, three of which open the concert. “Double Down On Wrong” finds Dana determined not to allow bad things to pass her by without reaction, starting slowly before building into a pounding rocker driven by Piero’s drums. The more melodic “Hard Road” has some elements of the Stones, notably in the chugging guitar that seems very influenced by Keith Richards, the catchy song a real winner as Jon joins Dana on the chorus. “Blue Mist Road” has plenty of Dana’s percussion, the quieter song in contrast to the noisy and edgy guitar solo mid tune. Dana goes back to her 2011 album Love To Beg for “Superman”, a mid-paced blues with quieter guitar work but some histrionic vocals before another Borrowed Time track, this one a ballad entitled “Nothing You Own”.
Gil Scott Heron’s 1971 song “Home Is Where The Hatred Is” is probably as relevant today as when it was written, this version having plenty of hand percussion, and eventually fades to a finish. “Borrowed Time” itself is more in Americana style with ringing lead guitar and acoustic rhythm and “Battle Lines” (a track from 2018’s Love Lives On) is in similar style with very personal and heartfelt lyrics. “Curtain Close” is the longest cut here, incorporating part of Bobby Bland’s “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City”. Dana starts it off by asking the audience to think of any loved ones no longer here and sings in particularly impassioned style on this number. Possibly played as an encore, “Sympathy For The Devil” is a great vehicle for Dana to demonstrate her vocal chops.
The album sounds like a faithful representation of Dana’s live style and gives her the opportunity to make sure that her fans get to hear those songs from Borrowed Time. For those new to Dana’s music much will depend on the extent to which you enjoy the vocal pyrotechnics on display.
