My Amazon Reviews: Kings Of Leon "Mechanical Bull"

Ride it or Buck it.
4 Out Of 5 Stars

Having been a fan of Kings of Leon since "Youth and Young Manhood," it's been interesting to watch how they've changed and matured as each album comes along. "Mechanical Bull" is their slickest yet. Cleanly produced, vocals upfront, heck, even strings (on "Comeback Story"). It's also the Kings' most blatantly commercial album, even more so than "Come Around Sundown." If you found that album to be too much for you, you're not going to like "Mechanical Bull."

However, I do. It's OK for a band to progress beyond their roots. With all the infighting going on after "Sundown," I'm surprised we have an album at all. But, as they say, blood is thicker than water, and when Caleb Fallowill sings he'd "take one in the temple for you" (on "Temple"), he could easily be talking about the relationship he's got with his fellow bandmates. They're back to bringing out the best in each other, including some very tasty guitar on "Coming Back Again" from Matthew Followill, who is in top form throughout "Mechanical Bull." Be it the arena sized soloing ("Rock City") or even just using it for subtle coloration ("Beautiful War"), he's become a force to be reckoned with.

"Mechanical Bull" revels in that diversity. Between the aforementioned strings, the pedal steel on "On The Chin," and the album's leaner feel, Kings of Leon are finding their way to greener pastures. And that's no Bull.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Cold War Kids "Mine is Yours"

Cold War Kids in a Grown Up World  
4 Out of 5 Stars

These guys used to be loud and gritty, even with the undertones of hidden anthems on their earlier albums. For their third full length album (and first for Geffen/Interscope) "Mine Is Yours," Cold War Kids drop all pretense towards indie-rock sound and go full charge for the areanas of the world. They've discovered their inner U2 and the ghost of Jeff Buckley as seeped in as well. They may have even caught a case of the Arcade Fires, while we're at it.

Which is to say that "Mine is Yours" aims at big targets and bold sounds, and mostly hits its marks. Singer Nathan Willett is a pretty soulful dude for a belter, which makes some of the more awkward lyrics (like "the crown on my head is heavy on me" from the otherwise great "Out of The Wilderness) sound positively inspirational, and when he gets the perfect match, he is. The title track and "Sensitive Kid" are polar opposites with the same effect; where the title track roars forth like a star climbing anthem, "Sensitive Kid" strips down to a slinky bass and piano drop ins to just grab you by the collar for a good shaking. Then, when they sneak back to their earlier, grittier blues sound on "Cold Toes on The Cold Floor," you understand that understated guitarist Jonnie Russell - who spends most of this album buried in producer Jaques King's reverb - is a coming axe-hero.

"Mine Os Yours" is going to fluster some of the Cold War Kids fans that will scream sell-out at A) Signing to Interscope and B) CWK's new-found sonic richness. To me, it's just a natural progression. "Mine Is Yours" is an unexpected surprise for me, and has slowly climbed into the upper reaches of my 2011 favorites.

 

My Amazon Reviews: Kings of Leon "Come Around Sundown"

Riding with The Kings  
4 Out Of 5 Stars

The Kings of Leon took the old fashioned route to stardom; they made consistent albums, toured relentlessly, ignored trends and waited for the world to catch up. Their fifth album, "Come Around Sundown," capitalizes on that steady as we go philosophy by keeping to the basics. Caleb Followill still sings like he's got honey in his mouth, the guitars are big and echoed, yet trace their roots to Southern Rock via U2's arena blast, and the songs themselves are rants and rolls about love, women and sex.

If you caught on to Kings Of Leon via "Only By The Night's" hits, that will probably suit you just fine. For those of us with the band since "Youth and Young Manhood," this will fee like a holding pattern. Granted, they are still messing with the formula (the dow-woppy "Mary" or the slide guitar country of "Back Down South"), for the most part, "Come Around Sundown" sounds pat.

That still isn't enough to wash them off just yet, as both "The End" and the hooky "Radioactive" hit the right spots. "Beach Side" could be the smoothest track they've done so far. The bass line in "Pony Up" makes me smile each time I hear it. Kings Of Leon have yet to disappoint me, and even though "Come Around Sundown" doesn't show the kind of exponential progressions that the first four albums did from each other, it's still a great rock album from a band at the top of their game.