Flamingo, by Brandon Flowers

Author

By Jeremy Dean

Publish Date

Sept. 12, 2010

Breaking from his role as lead man for the Killers, Brandon Flowers tests the waters of a solo career. His new album Flamingo has enough floating particles of the Killers' sound to make it appealing without sounding like he just got sick of his bandmates. It is much more acoustic driven, almost country western at times, yet modestly enhanced by modern technology. There are less synth sounds to muck up the rawness that Flowers seemed to be aiming for.

Like many records co-produced by Daniel Lanois (U2, Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan), the album has a way of taking you places. In this case, it's mostly to Las Vegas. Like a troubadour/prophet, Flowers uses Sin City as a backdrop for his poetry, as he often did with the Killers. The opening track is titled "Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas," where, as in the tune "Playing With Fire," Flowers exposes the uglier side of Las Vegas, the prostitutes, the drunks, the ruined lives. The album is ultimately like that Nevada oasis — welcoming, exciting, intoxicating, and, in the end, a little depressing.