Albert Hammond, Jr. - ¿Cómo Te Llama? (2009)

As the second of his self-penned albums, ¿Cómo Te Llama? is an important moment for the Strokes rhythm guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. as well as his solo career. Thankfully, this is not that all-too familiar story of a sophomore screw-up. Improving off of his debut in every way, Albert Hammond Jr. weaves together a unique mesh of sounds and styles. Albert's vocals are not all-that impressive, but their power and presence transcends any weaknesses he may have as a vocalist. Almost every song is full of rebellion, positivity and catchy melodies and big choruses. It is, however, the slower numbers "Spooky Couch" (a beautiful instrumental piece) and "You Won't Be Fooled By This" (a wistful ballad) which reveal a much more tender side of Albert's songwriting and prove to be the album's greatest strength. He may not have as many songwriting credits as his Strokes band-mates, but on this album he proves his influence on the group, showing why he is an integral part of the garage-rocking collective.

All in all, though, the best song on here (and one that I urge everyone who reads this to check out) is definitely the opener, "Bargain of A Century." The song has a rapidfire bass intro which builds to a beautiful, keyboard-covered main hook, followed by a melancholy verse. The highlight of the song is the utterly heart-rendering guitar solo that is restrained and yet show-stopping. And that right is the perfect way to describe ¿Cómo Te Llama?.

Like this recommendation? Don't agree with this review? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to leave me a comment!