Album Review: Lowrider - Black Stones

It was a magic moment when soulful hip hop dropped in 2006 courtesy of Adelaide foursome Lowrider. After the swift success of their self-titled debut, 2008's Diamond Amongst The Thieves all but sunk into the collective conscience, mega hit Be Bad soundtracking the summer that was. Follow up Round The World in 2010 was a close contender and now Black Stones fronts up. While brothers John and Paul Bartlett and co. have maintained the soulful funk and sassy lyrics that made ears prick, their latest doesn't instantly reach the same dizzying heights as their predecessors.

In saying that, there's a sense things have been tackled from a different angle with most tracks being slow burners. Opener Days Of Boredom is still pretty indicative of the Lowrider sound; brisk keys, buzzing bass, echoing snares and brassy vocals that pack a punch, as is mid-point kicker The Pay Day and Go Get Gone. Golden Sun takes a big step back in pace and dynamics but the harmonised vocals are a refreshing nicety. This City gets a bit cosmopolitan with bright ballpark keys bouncing alongside lounge piano tinkles and singer Joseph Braithwaite's pleasant and soul-evoking vocal.

The main issue with Black Stones is that it's tricky to find a thread connecting the sometimes unnecessary dabbling in and around their trademark sound when the end result is a collection of good songs that often lack the hook they need. It's not a capital offence but it makes the album about four songs too long. Fortunately there are still some truly likeable gems, like the imbued danger in What Happened To You and the so daggy it's cool falsetto and funk keys of Little Darling.