Albert Hammond Jr.
¿Cómo Te Llama?

Almost two years after releasing his first solo album ("Yours To Keep"), old Albert of Strokes fame releases his second effort.

And that it was a laborious, not thrown together, and very detailed work, is evident.

All the Strokes are known for being hard workers, sound perfectionists, always in search of the perfect song, the creation of the ideal "all killers, no fillers" album, and this philosophy without doubt has led to excellent outcomes: without delving into too many subjective opinions, it's almost superfluous to remember the impact and quality of so many of their songs.

Now, after three thousand interviews, after the more than justified exaltation of the hours spent trying and retrying in shabby New York basements, after the success, the fame, and the squirties, it's reasonable to expect that the albums from one of their two (great) guitarists follow the same thread.

Unfortunately, the reality is that if "Yours To Keep" had 4-5 excellent tracks somewhat lost among pleasant songs, this "¿Cómo Te Llama?" marks a step back. After several listens, I can recognize a pleasant first half but never brilliant, and a second half afflicted by poor songwriting. It's painful to say because good Albert seems to be truly a good guy: he posts the tracks on Myspace, the album was already online before its release, and everything has been well-produced and certainly detailed, so there's no doubt about the "honesty" of the work.

The first problem is as simple as it is cruel: Albert is probably essential in completing the ideas of the only true songwriter of the Strokes (Casablancas), but when it comes to writing his own pieces, he almost never manages to have inspirations that transform a song from pleasant to exceptional. And unfortunately, when inspiration is lacking, even 12 consecutive hours working on a riff cannot produce enormous results.

The second problem, of a still related nature, concerns the voice. The effects reminiscent of David Bowie or Alex Chilton, typically seventies, used for all the vocal tracks, cannot cover what is evident: Albert Hammond Jr is an excellent guitarist, but he's not a singer. Besides having very classic and not very innovative ideas for vocal lines (especially in this album), he doesn't have the voice to best express the finest insights. Just watch any live performance to realize: a weak and charisma-less voice. Very well-produced, but flat and not very expressive. And for this problem as well, I doubt there is much to be done.

He is still a generous musician (two albums in two years, right after the last Strokes record, numerous tours, etc.), and the fruit of such hard work is felt nonetheless. The sounds are very pleasant, and they include, besides the classic enhanced vintage sound, some more "peculiar" moments, like effect-laden drums and sizzling bass lines.

The entire first half of the album sounds like a very delightful mix of high-quality '70s rock (especially the Big Star of the already mentioned Alex Chilton, in my opinion) and flashes of modernity, particularly in the guitar parts, and it certainly merits several listens.

Albert wrote and played this album honestly. I believe it can be said, without envy and resentment for his money, his success, and his skinny English blonde top model girlfriend, that unfortunately the effort and experience weren't enough to make it a sensational album. I still remain a fan of his (a bit disappointed).