Learn how to sing, man!
Artiste: Kings of Leon
Nationality: American
Album: Because of the times
Year: 2006
Label: RCA
Genre: Rock
Tracks
Knocked up
Charmer
On call
McFearless
Black thumbnail
My party
True love way
Ragoo
Fans
The runner
Trunk
Camaro
Arizona
Chronological position: Third album
Familiarity: Zero
Interesting Factoid: Could not be bothered even looking for one
Impression: Absolutely hate this, and it's a long time since I said that about any album.
Best track(s): Arizona (just about)
Worst track(s): Everything else
Intention: Try to forget I ever listened to this band.
Comments:Another band I've been meaning to listen to for some time. Like a lot of the bands I have on my computer but have yet to listen to, I know Kings of Leon by reputation only, and can honestly say I have never heard one single song by them (no, not even
Sex on fire!) so when I say my familiarity with them is zero, I mean it. I know so little about them that until I Wiki'd them I thought they were English! Who's that laughing? Yeah, you there at the back...
Well, it's running now and I don't hate the opener,
Knocked up, quite catchy in fact, but you can keep
Charmer: it's just terrible, like the Smiths doing punk! Ugh! Will this, I find myself wondering, be an album of extremes: some tracks I'll like, others I'll hate? Perhaps not: God I
hate this guy's voice! It just
grates on me like nails on a blackboard! I doubt much can rescue this album, indeed this band, for me now: sure, we're only four tracks in, but hey, if you can't stand the singer you're exceptionally unlikely to warm to the band, and though the music is generally okay, I don't see where the love for these guys is coming from, as to me they sound very distinctly average.
Black thumbnail has a certain Springsteen charm to it, until suddenly it speeds up and loses the feeling; I'm really struggling to find anything decent to say about this album at all. There's a decent guitar solo near the end of
True love way, but really, it's a little crack of light in the overall darkness. Do Kings of Leon do any instrumentals? I could really do without hearing --- what's his name anyway? Caleb Followill --- Jesus! These guys are all
brothers? Well, I'll persevere to the end of the album, because I never leave a review half-finished (unless I hear death vocals, my one rule that never gets broken: I hear them and it's hit stop right away, and I'm outta here), but who the hell told this guy he could sing? He sounds half the time like he's hoarse, and he certainly has (to me anyway) no charm, warmth, charisma or class in his voice.
Right, let it run on. Okay vocal harmonies and a decent melody to
Fans, another good solo, but the big problem is still there, and our man Caleb ain't going away! Guess I'm in the minority, as KoL have been very successful, but then, so have a lot of bands I would not rate. Aquired taste? Maybe, but I don't see myself ever savouring his vocals, and the music, though not terrible, is nothing that special either. There's a nice idea in
The runner, but it never seems to really get going, and there's a sleazy, Chris Isaakesque feel to
Trunk which isn't bad, but Caleb seems unable to stay in tune (seriously!) and ruins it.
Okay, okay! The closer is quite nice, and even Caleb's singing is not too irritating or distracting, in fact weirdly
Arizona reminds me of Chris Rea's
Nothing's happening by the sea. But by now it's way too late for a rearguard action or a last minute push, and Kings of Leon have lost me. I hate this album, and as long as this guy remains with them (which I guess is still the case today) I won't be listening to any more of their records.