Foxy Shazam - Foxy Shazam Album Review

Some people don't seem to understand flamboyant, fun-loving rock music. Remember the backlash to The Darkness after their first sniff of success? With a name that brings to mind schlocky 1970's porn stars, Foxy Shazam won't be for those people. Foxy Shazam rock in such a camp and unashamed way that they will easily polarise opinion like nothing before them.

The album opens up with barking dogs, recalling Been Caught Stealing, before breaking straight through into the piano-led pop rock strains of Bombs Away. It's fast paced, it's fun and it sets the album off in the tongue in cheek style in which it carries on, with the anthemic Wanna-Be Angel, complete with funny words ("you hipsters think that I'm so gay - but I'm not gay at all"). The delivery is fantastic with some serious pop hooks and impressive vocals.

Elsewhere on the album is the standout track Count Me Out, featuring a guitar solo from Justin Hawkins, ex-singer and guitarist in The Darkness. Again, the chorus hook is massive and the musicianship is top notch. It sounds like a smash hit single, and rivals anything that Hawkins's old band ever put out.

There is variety on this album. Bye Bye Symphony is a quieter ballad, offering all the same Queen-esque hooks, guitar work and pianos. Unstoppable is an almost T.Rex style stomp, Connect (the albums only weak link) is a gospel/hip-hop style track. Another highlight is the blues-y Only Way To My Heart, utilising horn sections to brilliant effect. It revels in its own pomp, but it is glorious.

Put simply, if you prefer your rock music with a fringe, staring at the floor and reminding you how crap life is, Foxy Shazam should be avoided like the plague. If you keep in mind that music is a form of entertainment though, this album is a cracker. A worthy successor to the pomp and humour of The Darkness.

Ben Walton