Review: Kings of Leon "Only by the Night"

I consider myself a fan of Kings of Leon ... for now. They're not the best band out there. They can't be taken all that seriously. They're fun and they play some decent rock and roll.

But unfortunately I could see this band becoming cringe-worthy if they stay on the path they're on now. They're upset they don't sell out big stadiums in the United States like they do in the UK. The have a song on their new album called "Sex on Fire." Come on, seriously? This band is so close to selling their rock souls.

"Only by the Night" is similar-sounding to their last effort, "Because of the Times." They incorporate some keyboards and other effects. They have backing oohs and aahs. The lead vocals of Caleb Followill are still as strong as previous KOL records, but this album seems to be missing that "we don't give a shit, we just want to rock out" mentality.

Leading up to the release of "Only by the Night," I read the band wrote the songs for the album during crazy drinking binges. Naturally, I imagined the album to be a full-out rocker. In actuality, it's rather laid back. It starts off with a kick: the first three tracks are enjoyable, especially "Crawl."

But then the album takes a mellow turn on tracks 4-9. Lowlights include "17" and "I Want You." (The song titles really suck on this album.) These slower songs aren't terrible, but they're really not all that exciting or fun. And since KOL's forte isn't to write beautiful, moving songs, they should stick with fun. There's nothing on this album that holds a candle to any of the first four tracks of their second album, "Aha Shake Heartbreak."

I'd rate this album as average at best, with slight potential to grow on me. But it's not an encouraging fourth album. KOL needs to stop worrying about becoming as popular in the U.S. as the UK, and get back to their rock roots.