I think when Albert Hammond Jr. first announced his solo plans, it wasn’t something that many people could get truly excited about. His debut album did little to add to this – it was an effective summery pop album with a couple of very strong tunes, but a bit of a chore to listen to from start to finish. I’m approaching the release of the follow up to ‘Yours to Keep’ with mild interest, but also with the assumption to expect nothing groundbreaking.
But Albert’s been experimenting, and the thirteen tracks of ‘Como Te Llama’ provide a few surprises that make it worth investigating. Having heard this, it would be hard to pinpoint it to one genre, as although it’s a fundamentally guitar-based album, the other avenues explored on the way suggest that he would hate to be pigeon-holed.
The lo-fi edge that crept out tentatively on his previous outing is given much more prominence, for example on ‘Rocket,’ where the inner-muso bursts out in little waves of jamming and fiddling about. ‘Victory at Monterey’ takes on this theme, but with an infectious chorus to match.
‘Spooky Counch’ is a dreamy instrumental that sounds a little like a blissful version of the Rainbow theme tune. It’s a song for lying back and staring at the clouds, a lullaby without words. It’s a very, very nice song. It’s also a well placed song, as the album threatens to fall into mid-tempo obscurity in the preceding tracks. Elsewhere, Albert takes on reggae with the very Marley-esque ‘Borrowed Time.’ This is much better than it sounds on paper, especially with the chorus Supergrass have been seeking for some time.
It’s a testament to him, however, that it takes to this point for me to mention The Strokes. Only ‘G Up’ can really be considered to sound just like his other band, and that’s not bad going at all. The sound is fuller, with each member of the group stamping a little personality into what they do. All instruments are given the chance to take centre stage at some point.
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It’s not all trying out new things, however – ‘Bargain of a Century’ opens the album and should tell you not to expect the unexpected. It’s false advertising, and doing a disservice to some of the top class tunes that follow. Although holding the least distorted vocals on the album, ‘Miss Myrtle’ will feel like familiar territory to anyone who bought his last LP. ‘Feed Me Jack’ is not the climactic finish it should be, as whilst it is both sweeping and orchestral, it doesn’t manage to move you – and that was surely the intention.
Whilst the ideas are there and pretty much engaging throughout, there is something about Hammond Jr’s voice that fails to keep me interested. It’s melancholic to the point where it starts to bore, and it’s a shame because it does take the shine off. At times, a livelier vocal performance would make potential classics out of some of these songs, but everything is so understated. It is for this reason that I’ll always mean to listen to this album, but never quite find myself in the mood for it.
Albert Hammond Jr is destined to be like the long term friend that you like having in your life, but you know that he’ll never change it. He won’t astound or amaze you, but he’ll try, and you’ll enjoy his company when he’s around, even if you don’t seek it out.
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