#20 Albert Hammond Jr. - Yours to Keep

Most of you may know Albert Hammond Jr. as the guy who plays rhythm and occasional lead guitar for The Strokes, but in the fall of 2006 he released his debut solo album titled "Yours To Keep" on Rough Trade. I'll admit, I know absolutely nothing of the Strokes aside from whatever singles from their albums received assloads of air play, but none of those songs ever piqued my interest enough for me to care what more they had to offer. I would have to say the complete opposite for Hammond Jr.

While he didn't break any ground with Yours To Keep, what he did do was release a really good rock/pop album. As I mentioned before, I'm not familiar with the Strokes' catalogue, but I'm told that a few of these tracks here sound very Strokes-esque, particularly "In Transit" and "Holiday," among others. The album is a nice blend of somber love songs and catchy guitar riffs and melodies, so there's something here for everyone. With a core backing band of bassist Josh Lattanzie and drummer Matt Romano, guests for the album include Strokes' frontman Julian Casablancas, Sean Lennon, Ben Kweller, and even Strokes' manager, Ryan Gentles.

Surely this little endeavor of Hammond Jr.'s doesn't mean that this days in the Strokes are behind him, but I do hope it means that he will feel inclined to continue extending his solo catalogue with more albums in the future. Unfortunately this album is an import only for us American folk, but if you enjoy the tracks posted then you'll surely enjoy the album in it's entirety. I've included below a few favorites from the album.

Albert Hammond Jr. - In Transit

Albert Hammond Jr. - Blue Skies