English Music Reviews - November 9, 2006

Sam's Town
The Killers
What's Sam's Town anyway?

It's the old-school local casino where The Killers got their start. And that's pretty much what the album is about too. Paying tribute to their past.

A past which never quite showed up on their debut release Hot Fuss. But Sam's Town is a different story altogether. Take for example the track Bones. One listen to the song and you realise it couldn't have come from anywhere other than The Killer's hometown of Las Vegas.

Unlike their earlier work, Sam's Town is filled with soaring guitars and hard basslines. The album kickstarts with the anthemic title track, which then gives way to the piano-led Enterlude, a soft, melodic, almost fragile sounding track. The album then shifts gear once again as The Killers launch into the rocking first single When You Were Young.

All in all, the album deals with simple, small town life, and focuses on family, love, life choices, and nostalgia.

Release Therapy
Ludacris
When buying a Ludacris album, you already know the sort of music you're in for. True to expectations, first single Money Maker (feat Pharrell) is everything you would expect from this rapper.

Listen out for Runaway Love, a duet with Mary J Blige, with strong lyrics about violence against women. The other must-listens on the album are I Grew Up A Screw Up, Girls Gone Wild and Mouths To Feed - fast tracks with very tight production.

Hollyworld
Laurent Wolf
The last we heard from Laurent Wolf was Sunshine Paradise two years ago. Now he's back with Hollyworld, a retro-inspired album with a little bit of everything from rock'n'roll to house and funky groove. It's electronic rock 'n' roll all the way with I Don't Know, It's Too Late and High Up. To get your fix of house music, listen to Come On and Quiet Time. The rest of the album features many guest singer who add a pop feel to the tracks.

Rotten Apple
Lloyd Banks
G-Unit fans will be thrilled with Lloyd Banks' sophomore album. Although very different from Hunger For More, it still manages to pack in quite a punch with its strong lyrics and edgy vocal rap. Listen out for the Lil Jon-produced Iceman featuring Scarface, 8-Ball and Young Buck, and the tracks Rotten Apple and Get Clapped, both of which feature the incomparible Prodigy.

At the end of the day, this is hard-core street rap, not typical bubblegum stuff.