ALBUM REVIEW: Kings of Leon's "Come Around Sundown"

I just started consciously liking this bluesy Southern rock band Kings of Leon this year. Consciously? Yes. Like everyone else this September, I was swept up by the amazingly upbeat and spiritually rousing melody of "Radioactive," the first single off their latest album, Come Around Sundown. It's actually their fifth album in seven years, and as I suspected, I've been hearing them and loving them for a while without realizing it, rocking out to their earlier stuff ("Molly Chambers," "King of the Rodeo," "Taper Jean Girl," "Charmer"), which reminds me of Jet.

But as the years passed, they got a little darker and a little more bluesy. That's when they started to attract more attention. So being as oblivious as I am sometimes, the song "Sex on Fire" hit the airwaves in the Fall of '08, and I, like everyone, including the Grammy judges who bestowed them with 3 awards including Record of the Year, loved it. And "Use Somebody," the second single off that album released in December '08, was just as addictive. Even "Revelry," the third single, which was criminally overlooked in the U.S., is worth a listen.

Their latest offering dives deeper into the blues genre, with gut-wrenching vocals and melodic intensity. I love most of the songs because of lead singer Caleb Followill's voice. I get lost in its vibrations and fail to even remember to listen to the lyrics. I swear to you. I have no clue what they're talking about in "The Face" and "Pyro" because I can't concentrate long enough to figure it out—too busy floating on his harmonies.

Below are my favorite tracks off the album, although I recommend all of it. Ironically, however, these youtube clips are all covers, so you can't really hear his voice but you know a song is amazing if it's good no matter who sings it.

"The End"
A beautiful piano-driven ballad


"Radioactive" feels like a religious experience, especially after you watch the video.



"Mary"
With a 50s duw-op big band melody, it has you flashing back to the Sadie Hawkins dance, swaying to the Oldies.



Warning: The song "Mi Amigo" is not about amigos/friends, and is not for the faint of heart. lol