To call …And Star Power a ‘double-album’ would be somewhat of an understatement. At 82 minutes long, it feels more like a large collection of finished and unfinished material. The Californian duo has always walked the line between homage-rock and tongue-in-cheek retro, always self-aware of their links to artists like Dylan and The Stones. However, beginning the song ‘Brooklyn Police Station’ with the lyrics “Everyone knows the time is right for fighting in the street”, directly taken from Jagger and co., may be one step too far. But then, early highlight ‘Coulda Been My Love’ is a heartfelt ballad that showcases the falsetto of singer Sam France.
There's no denying that France and his cohort Jonathan Rado are exceptionally talented but, for such a long record, it sometimes feels as if they rely on the same tricks too often; accomplished soul balladry abruptly interspersed with aimless freak-outs. In a lot of instances, they cut and switch between musical parts at an alarming rate, often disorientating the listener. The amount of similar ideas being thrown around gives the impression of standing in the corner of their practice space while the band jam out. Although it contains some hidden gems, the record ultimately suffers from having too many tracks and too little focus.
