Music Review - Brandon Flowers - Flamingo

After the Killers announced they would be "taking a break for a while" after their tour ended in January, it seemed we would have to wait a while before we heard any new material from Brandon Flowers and co.

However the frontman barely waited a month before announcing he would embark on his first solo album 'Flamingo', named after a casino in his home-town Las Vegas. 

The material was written with the intention of appearing somewhere on a new killers record but the band weren't interested so Flowers decided to keep it for himself.

The album sounds very much like a Killers record albeit it with edges rounded off and a softer approach adopted. 'Welcome to Las Vegas' is a great opener with its long intro making way for a powerful chorus. 

Second single 'Only the Young' appears to be a watered down version of 'Read My Mind' while 'Playing with Fire' and 'Hard Enough' are both mellow and sluggish. 

Lead single 'Crossfire' is the album stand-out, seemingly ready to be belted out by a stadium crowd, while 'Magdelena' is another highlight, the story of a journey across New Mexico is tuneful and cheery.

Synth driven 'Jacksonville' bears a resemblance to 'Human, and 'I Came Here To Get Over You' is another upbeat record about gambling, a theme that reoccurs many times throughout the album.

'The Clock Was Tickin' is a country & western fairy tale story of life in the deep south, complete with instrumental break, the song kicks back in to finish it's jazzy course.

The album is good enough advert for his upcoming tour, yet it lacks the innovation and killer edge (no pun intended!) that the rest of the Killers provide. 6/10