Cage the Elephant

CD cover- Cage the Elephant. Photo/ Supplied

Rating:

***

Verdict:

A bit more kick is needed to really unleash this beast.

They hail from America's deep south, play swaggering, rowdy rock 'n' roll and feature two brothers in their line up. Comparisons to the Kings of Leon are inevitable.

But Cage the Elephant are, at best, distant cousins to the arena rock champions. More like cousins by marriage.

While their basic instrumentation may pair up - including lashings of bluegrass slide guitar - Matt Shultz's rap-rock vocals are more akin to those of Kid Rock than the whisky-soaked crackle of Caleb Followill.

As their first single Ain't No Rest for the Wicked hits high rotate on the radio, the band seem to have struck a catchy formula.

But as the album wears on, each song a near carbon copy of the previous one, it becomes clear the boys need to experiment a bit more and come up with some variable results.

The band have earned a reputation for their explosive live shows but the energy doesn't quite translate on record, often sounding noisy but not really powerful. Indeed, Lotus sounds like the band are in desperate need of a Red Bull.

You can't deny they know how to craft a catchy hook though - every track comes armed with simple singalong chorus that will be stuck deep in your mind within seconds of hearing it.

Plus Lincoln Parish's electric riffs make for some sweet air guitar.

Joanna Hunkin