Albert Hammond Jr. - Como Te Llama? [CD]

Rough Trade

July 15, 2008, 10:34 PM

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Following the success of his debut solo album ‘Yours To Keep’ back in 2006, the second full length outing from Albert Hammond Jr, ‘Como Te Llama’, showcases a band of musicians that have gone away and refined and matured their musical style.

To say that this record was incredibly varied and was a ‘musical journey’ from start to finish would be far from the truth, but this really isn’t an issue. My reason for saying this is because it simply has no need to be. For those who liked the first album, this is pretty much more of the same thing and seems to follow the ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ school of thought. However, for those who have never taken the time to listen to Hammond’s solo work then they too will appreciate the simple, classic and hazy summertime feel of the album which would sound amazing cruising down a dusty road on a summer’s evening with a single sunkissed trucker’s arm slung out of the window.

Considering that Albert Hammond Jr’s ‘day job’ is to play guitar with the uber-cool New York skinny-jeaned swaggerers The Strokes, there are no prizes for guessing the most obvious comparison to make with ‘Como Te Llama’ . It is true to say that upon listening to this record, glimpses and similarities of the Strokes’ music is audible, although this is inevitable as Hammond’s influences are naturally present in whatever he plays.
Stand out tracks ‘Rocket’ and the 70’s sounding ‘The Boss Americana’ offer the most singalong and perhaps memorable moments of the record but even they do not stray to far from the beaten path of Hammond’s stylistic traits.

If you’re looking for a taster of The Strokes’ next album then you’re going to be disappointed, but if you like their music however, then this album definitely deserves to be listened to as it sounds a bit like their retro, fuzzy sound but on an almost lethal dose vallium. Soundtrack to my summer evenings, barbeques and drives home from the beach? Too right.

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