Einstein Music Journal

Albert Hammond Jr.- Yours to Keep: Review

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Yours to Keep is the first solo effort from Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. and he delivers brilliantly. Just as the Strokes were starting to tire, Hammond has broken away to explore his own song writing capabilities, experiencing life without boundaries. The result is a wonderful ‘Lennoneque’ creation of pop tunes and broken ballads.
But if your expecting an album of blistering guitar solos you may be a bit disappointed, only two tracks ‘In Transit’ and ‘101’ run with Strokes like guitar riffs. Instead Hammond offers a more basic lyrical orientated sound, drawing on famous New York influences like Lou Reed. ‘Blue Skies’ and ‘Hard to Live in the City’ clearly highlight Hammond’s upbringing in the great city.
Yours to Keep presents Albert Hammond Jr. as a man with his own vision, perhaps leaving the Strokes as a distant memory.

posted by Nick Fulton @ 6:53 pm