Track Listing

1. Knocked Up
2. Charmer
3. On Call
4. McFearless
5. Black Thumbnail
6. My Party
7. True Love Way
8. Ragoo
9. Fans
10. The Runner
11. Trunk
12. Camaro
13. Arizona

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #449 in Music
• Brand: RCA
• Released on: 2007-04-03
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Third album from the rockin' American quartet whose previous albums (2003's Youth And Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak from '05) have earned them a large worldwide following. Consisting of three brothers and a cousin, the Kings Of Leon mix their own brand of Southern Rock with touches of Garage, Punk and Alternative swagger. RCA.

Amazon.com
Aha Shake Heartbreak may have blown open the doors of fame for Kings of Leon, but their third full-length album (named for a United Pentecostal Church ministers' conference) could well usher the Nashville foursome directly to rock and roll's zenith. There's hardly a change in plans for the three Followill brothers and their cousin, and that means producer Ethan Johns, a smorgasbord of musical influences, and a cacophonous ensemble of guitar, bass, and drums. A trio of relentless rockers--"My Party," "Camaro," and the sarcastic "Charmer"--are sure to pacify those familiar with the Kings' blueprint, yet there is ripening in the band's approach heard, in several of the record's 13 songs. Reverb guitar and vocals and a "woo woo" chorus add a sinister aspect to "Trunk," and "Knocked Up" features a laissez-faire Caleb Followill crooning "She don't care what her mama said/She's gonna have my baby." The seven-minute revelation of fatherhood that opens the album leads into the U2-influenced "McFearless," a reggae-splashed "Ragoo," and the rambling English blues of "Black Thumbnail." It's a rogue element that has always left every record fresh, and this time it has Kings of Leon teetering on the edge of rock renown. --Scott Holter

Customer Reviews

I Don't Care What Nobody Says....
....this is the finest work this young band has released to date. Many fans are still confounded by the new direction and richer, heavier sound of this LP, but before you cry fowl, listen. I mean really LISTEN. The Kings have improved thier chops and arranging so vastly that they scarcely sound like the same band that made "Youth & Young Manhood" and that's a good thing, it's called growth. Listen to the newfound confidence in Caleb's voice on the first single, the gorgeous "On Call" or his parched yelp before every verse on "Charmer", or what an airtight rhythm section Nathan and Jared have become on barnburners like "Mc Fearless" and "Black Thumbnail". Witness Matthew's spacey guitar atmospherics on the opener "Knocked Up" and tell me you aren't impressed with the simple beauty of it. This LP may take a few spins to soak in for some listeners but instead of comparing it to the last 2 releases, spend some quality time with..."Times" and spin in repeatedly, back to back about 6 times and the beautiful clattering will unfold and bless your ears like never before.

FOUR KINGS - FOUR STARS
It takes balls to start out your third album, which is anticipated to become your true commercial breakout, with a seven minute meditation on impending fatherhood with the delightfully tacky title "Knocked Up." So much for anyone daring to think Kings Of Leon have sold out for commercial success. They may get it anyway.

The band can play and the arrangements show off their strengths despite some fairly oridinary songwriting. The basslines on "Knocked Up" and "On Call," the wall of sound buzzing guitars on the distinctive "McFearless," "Black Thumbnail" which rocks out on the edge of chaos but holds it together, the mix of electric and acoustic guitar on "Fans" and the chiming guitars on the ska-influenced "Ragoo" all show Kings Of Leon at their best. But "True Love Way" and "Trunk" go nowhere and "Camaro" is a rocker any band could have done.

Still it's nice to find a band that is as hard to pigeonhole as Kings Of Leon. They are edging towards stardom on the strength of the things they do best and not because some tastemaker has declared them flavor of the week. Just like bands used to have to do before MTV. When it comes, they can say "We earned it."

Darker and less accessible than KoL's previous albums
I don't know how Kings of Leon at one time was (mis)labeled "the Strokes of the South". Maybe it was due to the short length of their first 2 albums (clocking in at about 30-35 min.). Yes, the band relied on quick guitar hooks and riffs, but there is a sea of difference with the KoL sound and the Strokes. Kings of Leon's 2005 album "Aha Shake Heartbreak" was a breakthrough album for the band in many ways (among others, bringing it mainstream success in the UK). It was one of my favorite albums of 2005. Now comes the highly anticipated new album.

"Because of the Times" (13 tracks, 51 min.) is a curious affair. It is immediately clear that the sound is darker and less accessible than on KoL's previous albums. I cannot make heads or tails of the first 2 songs, and generaly skip straight to track 3, "On Call" (first single), which starts an incredible string of no-miss tracks, all the way through track 9. "McFearless" is complex yet draws you in (it somehow reminded me of the Twilight Singers' searing sound, as it dis on "On Call"). "Ragoo" mizes it up with some reggae undertones. "Fans" is a tribute to the band's fanbase in the UK (with a great line like "These raining days aren't so bad when you're the king"). I rate the tracks 3 through 9 sequence 5 stars. After that, it drops off again, with "Camaro" as the lone remaining highlight. There are just a few too many mediocre spots to rate this album more than 4 stars. I just LOVE that middle sequence of 7 songs that form the heart of the album, but the rest is not up to that same level.

Kings of Leon are much bigger outside the US than they are here. This album crashed in at No. 1 on the British charts, and KoL are HUGE there. I don't think this album will do the same for them in the US, but then again stranger things have happened. I certainly would love to see them achieve greater success here--the album entered the Billboard 200 at 25, a career-best. Live the band is a force to be reckoned with (reminding me of My Morning Jacket's steady climb to one of the best live bands out there), and I can't wait to see them when they come here to Cincinnati next month.