Hedley
Famous Last Words
5/5

Who It’s For: Hopefully all rock fans
Sounds Like: Fun, catchy rock

Anyone who wrote Jacob Hoggard off as an ex-Idol contestant that can’t really sing has got a surprise in store for them here. Famous Last Words shows so much versatility in a band who could have taken the easy route of just being a catchy pop rock band. The album’s first single “She’s So Sorry” starts things off at a fast pace reminiscent of their debut album. It’s the probably the poorest song on the disc, which isn’t insulting the album as much as it is praising the fact that as you get deeper in you keep expecting more from them and they deliver right up to the almost reggae vibes of “Never Too Late.”

Vibes are another thing that Hedley seem to have picked up on their travels. Each song on this disc has its own feeling and life. There is the reggae previously mentioned, but there is also the ballad “For The Nights I Can’t Remember” which has this jazzy undertone that could give you a whole new outlook on the band.

They have followed a typical formula of making sure to include the rocking songs mixed up by a handful of ballads, while also including a few fun ones (“Dear Blank”). I doubt many will hold that against them. That recipe works, even if you are sick of hearing songs about girls.

This is rock and roll, but Hedley seem to be one of the few mainstream rock bands that are taking a stand against boredom. Famous Last Words in anything but boring for listeners. Whether you end up liking it because it’s catchy and you can sing along to the choruses on tracks like “Hand Grenade” or Hoggard’s scratchy and original voice catches your ear, Hedley do not blend in.

Track Listing:

1. She’s So Sorry
2. Hand Grenade
3. Dying To Live Again
4. Narcissist
5. Bones Shatter
6. Old School
7. Been There Done That
8. For The Nights I Can’t Remember
9. Brave New World
10. Dear Blank
11. Can’t Go Back
12. Never Too Late

- Stephanie Joudrey