winnie
15-12-2006, 07:44 PM
We haven't had a Review recently, have we? :thinking:
Anyway - I decided to write something about an album I discovered not too long ago and share my opinion with you. So here we go! ;)
Albert Hammond, Jr. - Yours To Keep
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000IFRXW0.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_V38454885_.jpg
Release Date: October, 13th 2006
Albert Hammond, Jr., son of the famous song-writer Albert Hammond (e.g. "It Never Rains In Southern California") and moreover The-Strokes-guitarist, released his first solo-work in the middle of this year's october and many didn't even know who he was - so did I.
I stumbled over Albert Hammond, Jr. in a MTV-Show, where they aired his first single's video and I immediately decided to buy the album the next day.
I've got to admit, that I got a weird feeling about that album after I got to the store and saw the cover-art (will this contain lullabies?! :stunned: ), but I bought it anyway and started to listen.
The first song, Cartoon Music For Superheroes, seemed to confirm my feelings caused by the cover-art at first, but Albert's calm and melodic singing made me instantly feel comfortable with his style. In Transit starts with a faster rythmic pattern and you can definitely sound out the Strokes-style, but nonetheless Hammond keeps his very own sound.
During the next songs Hammond sticks to melodic and catchy songs, Everyone Gets A Star is good, but Bright Young Thing is definitely one of my favourites of his album - it doesn't sound like The Strokes at all and Albert does a very good job singing that beautiful song.
After that song, Hammond chooses a different style: Blue Skies sounds very folk-ish, you might compare it to irish folk-music. People who like acoustic songs should try that one ;) After that comes the song which got me to buy this album - 101 is a lot rockier than the songs before and has a very, very catchy guitar-riff! The songwriting is also very, very nice - actually it is in every of Hammond's songs.
Next song is Call An Ambulance - it's a typical Hammong song, calm, melodic, easy - nothing special about it. Scared is a very rythmic song and, in my opinion, the weakest of the whole album - it just doesn't seem to fit at all to the other songs. Holiday is way better - the title describes the song perfectly, it simply feels like holiday! Still the not too complicated guitar-riffs and catchy melodies.
After we went on a small holiday-trip we approach the last song - Hard To Live In The City. The song sounds astonishingly like a Strokes-song! I think, that song might most likely also be a Strokes-song - but I love it's outro: An instrumental part of music with electric guitar and trumpet, sounds very spanish or mexican... very cool! :)
That's my small summary of the album's songs - and that leads me to one of the biggest drawbacks: Yours To Keep has too few and too short songs - just ten 3 to 4 minutes long songs is a little bit weak in my opinion. Another thing some people might disapprove is the simplicity of Albert Hammond, Jr.'s style - the solos aren't very complicated, the lyrics don't have many hidden political meanings, but to me this is what makes the quality of the whole album - it's just easy music to enjoy!
Here's a short list of (my) Pros and Contras:
+ Easy, catchy melodies
+ Calm songs
+ Strokes-influence
+ 101, Bright Young Thing, Holiday
- too few and too short songs
- Scared
You might like this album, if you listen to The Strokes, Coldplay, Editors, Keane, Muse, ...
and finally my rating :nice:
8.0/10
hope you liked my review :rolleyes: - And do more reviews, everybody! :)
Anyway - I decided to write something about an album I discovered not too long ago and share my opinion with you. So here we go! ;)
Albert Hammond, Jr. - Yours To Keep
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000IFRXW0.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_V38454885_.jpg
Release Date: October, 13th 2006
Albert Hammond, Jr., son of the famous song-writer Albert Hammond (e.g. "It Never Rains In Southern California") and moreover The-Strokes-guitarist, released his first solo-work in the middle of this year's october and many didn't even know who he was - so did I.
I stumbled over Albert Hammond, Jr. in a MTV-Show, where they aired his first single's video and I immediately decided to buy the album the next day.
I've got to admit, that I got a weird feeling about that album after I got to the store and saw the cover-art (will this contain lullabies?! :stunned: ), but I bought it anyway and started to listen.
The first song, Cartoon Music For Superheroes, seemed to confirm my feelings caused by the cover-art at first, but Albert's calm and melodic singing made me instantly feel comfortable with his style. In Transit starts with a faster rythmic pattern and you can definitely sound out the Strokes-style, but nonetheless Hammond keeps his very own sound.
During the next songs Hammond sticks to melodic and catchy songs, Everyone Gets A Star is good, but Bright Young Thing is definitely one of my favourites of his album - it doesn't sound like The Strokes at all and Albert does a very good job singing that beautiful song.
After that song, Hammond chooses a different style: Blue Skies sounds very folk-ish, you might compare it to irish folk-music. People who like acoustic songs should try that one ;) After that comes the song which got me to buy this album - 101 is a lot rockier than the songs before and has a very, very catchy guitar-riff! The songwriting is also very, very nice - actually it is in every of Hammond's songs.
Next song is Call An Ambulance - it's a typical Hammong song, calm, melodic, easy - nothing special about it. Scared is a very rythmic song and, in my opinion, the weakest of the whole album - it just doesn't seem to fit at all to the other songs. Holiday is way better - the title describes the song perfectly, it simply feels like holiday! Still the not too complicated guitar-riffs and catchy melodies.
After we went on a small holiday-trip we approach the last song - Hard To Live In The City. The song sounds astonishingly like a Strokes-song! I think, that song might most likely also be a Strokes-song - but I love it's outro: An instrumental part of music with electric guitar and trumpet, sounds very spanish or mexican... very cool! :)
That's my small summary of the album's songs - and that leads me to one of the biggest drawbacks: Yours To Keep has too few and too short songs - just ten 3 to 4 minutes long songs is a little bit weak in my opinion. Another thing some people might disapprove is the simplicity of Albert Hammond, Jr.'s style - the solos aren't very complicated, the lyrics don't have many hidden political meanings, but to me this is what makes the quality of the whole album - it's just easy music to enjoy!
Here's a short list of (my) Pros and Contras:
+ Easy, catchy melodies
+ Calm songs
+ Strokes-influence
+ 101, Bright Young Thing, Holiday
- too few and too short songs
- Scared
You might like this album, if you listen to The Strokes, Coldplay, Editors, Keane, Muse, ...
and finally my rating :nice:
8.0/10
hope you liked my review :rolleyes: - And do more reviews, everybody! :)