I’ve been surprised at just how much I enjoy Albert Hammond Jr.’s solo debut Yours to Keep. It’s bright and inspired, and I’ll do my best to avoid making any sort of ill-advised comparisons to the Strokes (I never even bothered with First Impressions of Earth … oops).
Not sure if I’d grown tired of the Strokes or my tastes just moved in a different direction, but if they’re smart, they’ll let Hammond have his hand in more of the writing next time around. Yours to Keep has snappy, easy-to-digest melodies, and the writing is earnest (if not a little forced at times).
Hammond and his band stopped by Minnesota Public Radio for a quick in-studio session, which I’ve separated into individual mp3s.
Albert Hammond Jr., on MPR’s the Current, 6/7/07:
Everyone Gets a StarIn TransitBright Young Thing
thanks for the post. i agree that after this record, superior to the strokes you missed (didn’t miss a thing) hammond ought to have more of a hand in the next strokes record.