Only By The Night - Kings of Leon - Sony BMG

Can you imagine the groupies these kids are bedding right now? Preacher’s sons, recently shaved, and sporting a number one record… my god!

From the reports coming in, they have moved away from their strict religious upbringing somewhat and are now dedicated to bringing the rock… and on Only By The Night, they do exactly that.

The Tennessee natives have crafted their career defining release, represented beautifully by the spell biding hooks of lead single Sex On Fire. The pre-pubescent vocal styling of Caleb Followill set that track up for some serious radio attention with his edgy delivery and smouldering lyrics.

The greatest achievement on Only By The Night is the consistency across the record. Not only has the band stayed true to their organic sound, they have expanded it by delving into more layering and taking more chances at the mixing desk.

Tracks like Closer, Manhattan and 17 really whip the listener around, all the while keeping them within arms reach of the familiar Kings of Leon sonic watermark.

This is the kind of album that sets up a career, not so much an evolution in sound as a perfection of a sound. Only By the Night will be hard for Kings of Leon to top in the future, but if you have to hang your hat on an album like this you wouldn’t lose too much sleep.