The second album from ‘Lost Hollywood’ ‘What lies Beneath’ instantly had me wondering why I hadn’t heard their first because if it got close to the sound and the songs here it would be a staple in my collection. A little digging and the fact it’s so hard to find any information on the band that’s up to date makes you want to pick them up, manage them and show them off to the world!
As it turns out though this second offering takes a decidedly heavier and darker route than their first album and it makes ALL the difference. That’s not to say the band has completely stepped out of ‘the light’ as there are some huge lighter moments in here that give the album such a rich and varied texture that really works in its favour.
What you get on one hand is real rich lush ballads and on the other some real high-speed, speaker shredding rock and let’s face it that can never be bad can it?
Opener ‘Bright Lights’ opens with a vintage Aerosmith swagger and harnesses the sort of sound early Collective Soul managed, it’s a great way to open the account before the slower ‘Nothing Good About Goodbye’ shows the really developed lighter side of the band. Both are all class and remarkably mature songs.
On an album without filler, standout tracks for me are the opening pair along with the laid back groove and stomp of ‘Wheels Up’; the storming title track; the clean radio blues rock of ‘Black Stone Mojo’ and the wonderful STP – like groove of ‘Hard Times’. Indeed it’s only the (not that bad but) slightly uninspired tracks like ‘Breathe’ that make you realize this remarkable album isn’t the definitive article yet and the band can still grow from here!
You know what? This isn’t that far off my favourite of the year. An unexpected surprise is always the best.
TRACKLIST
Bright Lights
Nothing Good About Goodbye
Wheels Up
Breathe
Black Stone Mojo
I’m Gone
Hard Times
What Lies Beneath
Slipping Away
Storm the Gates
Back Home
7 Days
One More Night
