Brandon Flowers - Flamingo
- Written by Helen Szczupak
Brandon Flowers returns to our airwaves with his debut solo album Flamingo. Following outstanding success fronting The Killers, Flowers steps out on his own to up the ante and demonstrate that he can go it alone. With a less electro sound than we have become accustomed to from the Killers, what will this album have to offer...?
'Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas' is a slow tempo melancholic track that kicks off the album, bursting into life for a typical Flowers chorus. The track winds through styles and paces that keep the track interesting from start to finish. 'Only The Young' is an atmospheric treat for the ears, but it is all sounding very Killers so far and we find ourselves constantly forgetting that this is not a Killers album - the only edge being the slightly more experimental side to this record.
Perhaps the biggest success of the album comes in the form of 'Hard Enough', a duet with Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley fame, which is an unexpected treasure. Their vocals fuse and intertwine perfectly for this simplistic number. Brandon Flowers has made the perfect selection here, and we are sure he wasn't short of offers to appear on his debut solo offering. Undeniably, 'Crossfire' is also one of the biggest successes of the record, with commercial appeal and a catchy feel - a fine choice for the debut single. Meanwhile, ‘The Clock Was Tickin'' is a story telling track with a country and western vibe, not something we would have expected from Flowers. It is hard to say whether this track actually works, there are elements that do but it feels all just a bit too forced.
All in all Flamingo is a grower. There are some grabbing concepts that leave you wanting more and the originality that The Killers brought to the table is replicated in this record. Which is, at the same time, perhaps what makes this offering a little too mediocre and lacks that fresh sound that we were hoping for. That's not to say that there is no variation here, as the album is vast in style and sound. But the number of tracks with single potential is minimal and we can't help feeling that we would have preferred a brand new Killers album for our listening pleasure instead. Negative thoughts aside, Flowers has high expectations to meet and we are not sure than we can write off his solo efforts quite just yet. These are just the building blocks for a potentially sky high successful solo career.