CD: Albert Hammond Jr., "Yours To Keep"

Albert Hammond, Jr. isn't leaving The Strokes, but with the strength of his solo debut, Yours to Keep, that door is now officially open for him. This album is crisp and clean, a one-man army that bounces from the Beach Boys ("Cartoon Music For Superheroes") to Interpol ("Everyone Gets a Star"), from acoustic age ("Blue Skies") to plucky youth ("Call an Ambulance"). He can whistle to the banjo in pure delight or slow down the Beatles on "Well...All Right"; he can also ooze out a pulpy syrup of a song ("Scared"). With a wide range of powerful hooks and clear lyrics to sustain the music. Hammond is all over the place, rising from the deep to the falsetto of "Hard to Live in the City" and flipping playfully on the electric guitar of "Holiday." This is an excellent album that varies in music, but never in quality.

[First posted to Silent Uproar, 3/19]