Album Review: Kings Of Leon, O My Beloved

On Kings Of Leon’s 10th album, the opener ‘Intro’ immediately sets the tone: street noises, the sound of a train, footsteps and then Caleb Followill warbling “O My Beloved”. As with the rest of the LP, the emphasis is on personal, acoustic-led songwriting.

There’s also a change of perspective, with Caleb describing the album as a love letter to family. Across strummed guitar on ‘My Whole World’, he sings about returning fathers and the beauty of clan, his voice still as compelling as it was on debut album Youth & Young Manhood. Boasting a relaxed vocal and acoustic warmth, ‘KOYSAR’ extends the domestic theme, connecting to childhood freedom and family life.

The significant distinction is that they’re reaching back to music they made before Kings Of Leon – a return to the spirit of their earliest Nashville songwriting. Indeed, ‘Cold Blue Dawn’ – remembering childhood visits to Graceland – is infused with a Mississippi alt-country style akin to Blue Mountain.

The stripped back ‘Rose’ is some fab roots rock, and ‘Make It Count’ is a superb snapshot of strip malls, payphones, lonely teenage creatures and getting out of town.

Elsewhere, ‘Blue Jeans And Diamonds’ cascades with KOL DNA, while the pared back indie-folk of ‘Pretty Thing’ is like nothing else in their extensive canon.

8/10