They say Mariah Carey sings notes only a dog can hear. Well on this showing Justin Hawkins could be having a few conversations with whales in the near future. The falsetto shrieks are as piercing as ever, and crucially, the songs are just as good too.

The album title could almost be autobiographical, as it seemed not long ago that The Darkness were heading for their own private hell, with no return ticket stub. Initial material for the second album was far from promising when given an outing live, the in-band ructions with then bassist Frankie Poullain refused to go away, and then there was Justin's more than recreational use of cocaine.

This gets tackled head on in the title track, with great success and humour, not least in the line "I'm always trying to keep my vices under wraps". It's an effective way of making light of a heavy issue, a tactic he uses elsewhere. For despite its pomp, glitter and obvious humour this album deals with some surprisingly stark issues - drug addiction, baldness and a hint of impotence. This takes place in the quaintly titled Knockers, Justin singing the unforgettable line, "you're beautiful and busty, but I'm a little rusty". Two of the three power ballads pack quite a punch - Bald goes for the big, operatic gesture, while It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time is an introspective laced with regret and an overdone string section. But since when were The Darkness about understatement?

One track is frankly bizarre, and that's not even Hazel Eyes, where Scotch reel influences permeate to hugely enjoyable effect. Girlfriend seems a strange piece of radio pop for the band to come out with, the vocals seemingly an octave too high and with a hugely indulgent and rather unfortunate keyboard solo. Still, you allow them that when the whirligig English Country Garden follows, a rollicking piano-led song with an outrageous lyrical couplet or two.

Influences? They've had a few, and not just the powdered variety. This album couldn't have come about once again without such rock monsters as Queen, Kiss and any other number of seventies glam outfits. Bachmann-Turner Overdrive, too, whose influence is more than evident in Is It Just Me?

But even if you have a problem with The Darkness, I defy you not to enjoy this album. They have a sound that is still instantly recognisable, and Justin retains his knack of coupling wonderfully English lyrics and observations with melodies of huge hit making potential. There's plenty of room for them in today's pop climate.

share

end of year feature musicOMH's 50 Best Albums Of 2009 From the nearly 700 albums we reviewed this year, which did our writers love the most? Introduction 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 20-11 | 10-4 | 1-3