Aha Shake Heartbreak - Kings Of Leon > Reviews > Southern Dandy!

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	More diverse than first effort, very accessable .
Disadvantages:	Tails of a little at the end .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I've been reading some strange stuff about Kings Of Leon recently. After all the hype, rave reviews and plaudits heaped upon them since the summer of 2003, it seems that certain publications are calling them bland, 'samey' and other such tags. Considering most of the media hailed them as "one of the most exciting rock and roll bands in a generation" and the debut album 'Youth and Young Manhood' as "perhaps one of the greatest debut albums from an American band", these seems like quite a paradox.
Well, they can stop doing reviews for crap mags and gutter press now, as this follow-up album not only doesn't disappoint but is simply stunning.

I had reserved judgement after the slow burning single 'The Bucket' failed to truly ignite my hopes, but some of tracks on this are devastatingly rocking.

Track by track:

1)Slow Night, So Long - Beautifully structed and lovely paced first track that is a classic rock n roll album opener. Think Velvet Underground's 'loaded' had it been made in Nashville.
2)King of The Rodeo - Classic KOL track. Struts and swagger a plenty with an infectious chorus. Getting a bit quicker now.
3)Taper Jean Girl - My personal favourite. Has a start like Primal Scream's 'Rocks' but kicks in with far cooler guitar sounds. Brilliant lyrics a barnstomping feel and crisp guitar interplay makes this v.good indeed.
4)Pistol Of Fire - Perhaps the most predicatable of tracks on the album and could really have been a track on Youth and Young Manhood. What they do here, they do well however. Reminds me of 'Wasted Time' from the first album.
5)Milk - This seemingly comes out of nowhere. A countrified ballad taht is up there with Bright Eyes, Neil Young and even Dylan. Honestly, it's that good. Again, wonderful lyrics that sound relatively obscure but read back well in the sleeve. Heartbreaking.
6)The Bucket - The first single to be lifted from the album and it's a real grower. The more you listen to it, the more you hear in it. Hugely optimistic lyrics and tune with a feversish build up. A great tonic after Milk.
7)Soft - A strange one. Sometimes it sounds very good and then at other times is too disjointed after The Bucket. Traditional KOL hollering at the end. A grower for most. Cool lyrics again throughout.
8)Razz - Funky! Imagine the sort of music that would make Mick Jagger strut - that's what this is. Terrific breakdown in the middle leads into a Molly's Chambers type ending.
9)Day Old Blues - Another bit of balladry. Weaker than Milk however. Lazy tempo that never seems to take of due to the over intricate nature of the musicianship.
10)Four Kicks - More classic KOL sound. Again, could really have been on Youth and Young Manhood but sounds fresh enough to belong on this album. Instantly catchy without doing anything clever. No frills approach to rock n roll here.
11)Velvet Snow - Furiously fast, a real toe-tapper. Totally incohrent lyrics most of the time, but this is beside the point. Like the music that would soundtrack a Dukes of Hazard car chase (in an updated version).
12)Rememo - A waltz!? Unusual to say the least and my least favourite on the album. Pleasant but on the right place in the album for me.

To conclude, hooks a plenty in much of it (as is a trademark of the Kings sound) but mixed-up with some ricocheting tempos in tunes and subtle build-up in some tunes make this a far more diverse affair.
Also, as an added bonus for me, the sleevenotes include lyrics for the songs, something that was unfortunately missing from the first album.
I've recently heard that Ethan Johns (who produced this album) is producing the new Razorlight album and on the basis of his production on this, it's gonna be as cool as a cucumber.

Get one of 2004's most accomplished and surprising albums from a band that need prove very little to anyone now. Yee-haw!

NOTE - Before posting comments on this review, please note that this is a review updated and adapted from my own personal review as placed on Amazon under the name the_great_gatsby. I'm a little peeved at the negative comments given already for this review as it is not a copy!
Here is the link to my Amazon review:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/music/B0002V4DNM/customer-reviews/3/ref=cm_rev_next/202-7956043-2527819?show=-submittime