Kings Of Leon

Youth & Young Manhood (RCA ’03) Rating: B+
When the hype dies down (NME: "the most exciting debut of the last ten years"; countless others: "they're like a Southern Strokes"), what we'll be left with is a really good but not quite great debut album. Kings Of Leon are comprised of the Followill brothers, Caleb (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Jared (bass, pian), and Nathan (drums, percussion, background vocals), sons of a travelling Pentacoastal preacher, and their first cousin, Matthew Followill (lead guitar). Now I don't know much about their religion (Caleb, who sounds much older than he is, slurs his lyrics in an affecting but difficult to decipher manner), but Kings Of Leon are clearly true believers in rock n' roll. Basically, they're a damn good bar band who know what they're doing (helped along by producer Ethan Johns, who also produced The Strokes' Is This It), and high quality songs such as "Happy Alone," "Joe's Head," and (my favorite track) "California Waiting" get by on the band's infectious enthusiasm. These swampy, groove-based rockers have hooks that are immediate, but most of the other songs here require repeat listens for a full appreciation, especially the second half of the album, which is (predictably) less impressive than the first. Other high points include a couple of bluesy ballads, "Trani" and "Dusty" (make that three if you include the excellent "hidden track"), as well as the catchy rockers that "officially" bookend the album, "Red Morning Light" and "Holy Roller Novocaine." Actually, some generic tendencies aside, there's not really a bad song on the album, though I'm still waiting for "Spiral Staircase," "Molly's Chambers," and "Genius" to win me over. Sill, the band's spare, bare boned boogie attack makes for a fine if flawed party platter, and with the recent dissolution of The Black Crowes it's good to see some young blood like Kings Of Leon (and Drive-By Truckers) continue to make some good 'ol Southern rock 'n roll.

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