Albert Hammond, Jr. — Yours To Keep

Yours To Keep

Red Ink/Sony BMG

Phil Villeneuve (CHARTattack)

03/06/2007 2:31pm

If a Strokes album is the party, guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.'s solo debut is the balloons, confetti and grab bags. Yours To Keep is a colourful collection of upbeat indie pop/rock. Hammond Jr.'s vocals jump from hipster rocker (most songs) to emotional yeller ("Blue Skies") to unabashed falsetto ("In Transit"), and it's only on Strokish songs "101" and "Holiday" that you're barely reminded of his musical history. Otherwise, he stands on his own with sparse guitar work, keyboards, acoustic instrumentation and the creative help of his two backing players. Hammond Jr.'s heart-on-his-sleeve lyrics also set him apart. "By the way she looked/I should've calmed down/I went too far/That's all I've got to say," he confesses on "In Transit." Without moving too far from his comfort zone, Hammond Jr. proves himself a worthy solo voice.