For all the fuss that’s been made over Albert Hammond’s decision to whack out another full length LP in the time his fellow bandmates decide on which direction to take (and judging from their latest effort: slick, Pharell-produced space-age new-wave could be on the cards), the truth is he probably had a spare few months and decided to let the reel to reel roll (as opposed to drinking in NY’s answer to the Met Bar.) And as with debut ‘Yours To Keep’, Hammond has again crafted an LP of memorable- and at times- wonderful songs. Production wise, ‘Como..’ certainly isn’t a departure from Hammond, but it does see him exploring styles like a record-loving magpie. Early reports of a “reggae album” may have been a little misleading, although (as on the spiky, uptempo burst of ‘G Up’), Hammond certainly explores his inner riddims, a trick repeated again on the more downbeat -yet equally refreshing- ‘Borrowed Time’. Highlight ‘You Won’t Be Fooled By This’ treads the same emotive, admittedly Stroksian ground as debut highlight ‘101’, whilst throughout the haunting ‘Feed Me Jack..’, Hammond is stripped back to a Lennon-esque piano lament (a probable influence of LP contributor Sean Lennon). At fourteen tracks, there is a lot to be had here, but its an album that undoubtedly rewards repeated listens, but more so sees Hammond moving in various new directions.
3.5/5
