AWmusic

From the brilliant mind who brought us Too Young To Fight It, Dan Keyes gives a strong, yet not so powerful album for the shadows of summer nights with Young Love’s sophomore album One of Us. Having started in a Texas made band, he worked his way up into a life in New York where he finally got to produce his own music several years in the making. 2007’s Too Young To Fight It featured a continuous stream of songs that characterized nights we felt could last forever. Images of nights on the town, with the bright street lights, curious adventures, and fearless living 24/7 are definitely provoked upon a single listen.

Now with the few month old release, this new album does provoke fearlessness, but only within the first few tracks. “Unafraid” begins the album with an empowering anthem for summer nights, but by the time the listener hears background vocals for “Get Me Up” singing HEY unnecessarily, they are reminded of a certain Disney star- cough, Selena Gomez- terribly featured in a certain Forever the Sickest Kids song. Selena’s background voice, saying (not singing) phrases like “don’t touch me” are quite as unpleasant as what I found the background in “Get Me Up” to be. “Black Boots,” also featured on the band’s myspace, stirs the listener once again, especially with the head shaking intro.

Unfortunately, by the rest of the album Dan Keyes fails to be recognized as a lyrical and catchy musical creator. “Turn It Up” may have caught my attention mildly, but many songs such as “Don’t Fight It” contain instrumentals too intense with not enough pure happy pop beat. The long anticipated second album only shows us what a masterpiece Too Young To Fight It had really been. So what do I say? Find a new way to dance.

Young Love – Unafraid
Young Love – One To Ten
Young Love – Find A New Way To Dance

Tags: album