Sound: Grandiose and decidedly English arena rock that’s dominated by Justin Hawkins’ impossibly high falsetto and slickly orchestrated production reminiscent of Queen
Note: The album was produced Roy Thomas Baker, who produced several ‘70s albums by artists like Journey, Foreigner and Queen.
Heavy Rotation tracks: “Hazel Eyes“; “One Way Ticket”
Medium Rotation tracks: “English Country Garden“; “Is It Just Me?“; “Bald”
Recommended: The stamp of the man who supervised the all-time rock masterpiece “Bohemian Rhapsody” can be felt throughout the album, and it certainly yields many impressive sounds. However, his kitchen-sink approach takes away some of the cock-sure rawness that made The Darkness’ Permission to Land so much fun. With fewer metal guitar riffs/solos and a touch more sentimentality, this evolved Darkness asks you to like them more for their quality songwriting and musicianship. Only die-hards may be interested beyond a couple tracks.
Grade: B