Hanni El Khatib – Moonlight
- Written by Steve Warnham
Hanni El Khatib barely breaks his stride as his third release Moonlight nestles tightly into his repertoire of blues-soaked garage rock. The Californian has established himself by combining scuzzy riffs with heartening twangs of the blues and his new material is no different. It’s another damn cool blend of gutsy engine-revving tunes, but there is a sense of safety which holds the album back. It’s hard to get your head around, because Moonlight is a great listen, but it just feels lacking.
The record kicks off with the title track ‘Moonlight’. Its hip-hop beat offsets the gloominess of the lyrics and it opens the door to the album. It sounds eerie as El Khatib’s voice staggers uncharacteristically through the track.
He ups the ante and finds his form in ‘Melt Me’, which is bound to be one of the sexiest tracks of the year. The unquenchable riff and the cocky swagger which has returned to El Khatib’s voice are brilliant. He sings, “Come over and melt me like an ice cream cone in the sun.” Taking no prisoners, it reeks of testosterone and is easily the highlight of the record and his best song since 2011’s Will The Guns Come Out.
On the whole, Moonlight is definitely an entertaining record and it has some tracks which are real treats. But as mentioned, for the most part it doesn’t feel particularly original. While not every album can turn the world on its head, Moonlight strikes as a safe step for El Khatib. It closely follows earlier material and sounds more like The Black Keys than ever. Although the booming popularity of The Black Keys makes comparisons inevitable, and they can’t monopolise bluesy-garage rock, you can’t escape that certain tracks such as ‘Mexico’ and ‘Chasin’’ sound like they were lifted off of the El Camino studio floor. Again, that’s not to say that they’re not belting tunes, just that the direction feels a little lacklustre. This is mainly noticeable as there’s not really anything that you could possibly dislike on the album and in a way, this almost detracts from its charm.
El Khatib admittedly broadens his horizons in ‘Two Brothers’, but as the record’s eleventh track it feels a little too late for what is a really exciting sound. ‘Two Brothers’ could soundtrack a moonlit disco in a desert, entrancing with funky disco beats, but withholding with sobering blues. As interesting as the track is, in ending the record, it feels a little like it opens rather than answers any questions.
Hanni El Khatib knows how to pen a great tune; he just needs to find the right direction as to not stagnate it.