Review Summary: The Cat Empire adventure out of the norm with this more pop based release.
The Cat Empire are quite the unique band. They are able to bring large varying amounts of different sounds and mix them into one large layer of eargasmic ska, jazz and funk. The thing is, they have been able to do this successfully for their previous two albums, and if
So Many Nights has anything to say, it shows that they are not slowing in a hurry.
So Many Nights is The Cat Empires third release, and they have stayed down to earth and kept quite an intimate vibe even if they have become quite successful with their past albums and on those albums they were a band that always made you smile and dance even if you are not in the happiest of moods.
So Many Nights once again portrays this, though is a much more pop-ier affair, bringing a much more smoother and sweeter sound.
The vocals are once again quite strong from lead trumpet player and vocalist, Harry Angus, though this time only features on three songs, which is not a bad thing since his voice can be over used at stages, since it eventually gets quite whiney to the listener’s ears, though on “The Darkness” Angus creates quite a smooth soothing sound, and is his best vocal performance to date. Though, when supporting lead vocalist, Felix Reibl, Angus is at his best. Reibl on the other hand, holds the band together with his quite brilliant voice. He is smoother than an Italian espresso. His voice is so versatile and can handle all genres that the band throw at him with a similar laid back feel.
The bands sound on a whole hits new heights on this release, as it seems much more full and powerful then previous. The rhythm section is tighter than ever and the brass plays some pretty great licks and is able to blow you out of the room with the sound they can create. Though on the whole, this album is much different to before, since it lacks the Cuban influence that made
Two Shoes so great. The album follows obvious pop roots with title track, “So Many Nights” which has a very laid back beat through the chorus and is probably the best song on the album since it has the amazing ability to keep getting replayed due to its catchiness. “No Longer There” and “So Long” are probably the most accessible songs that the band have ever wrote, full of hooks and sing a long lines, though you can’t blame the for it since they are such catchy tunes, and work quite well with the bands already fabulous sound.
Even if the album is more accessible, the songs go much deeper than the normal pop tunes, since the band can create such a full sound with the wide variety of instrumentation that they possess.
So Many Nights is an adventure out of the norm for The Cat Empire, but they do it well.
