“Crossfire,” Brandon Flowers‘ first solo effort was solid. It had a little something for the Killers fans but was commercial enough that it SHOULD have done well on Top 40…but alas…it didn’t. The single DID do decently on Alternative Radio, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Alternative chart and at #11 on the Billboard Rock chart. Let’s see how the song does on UK radio, where it was released this past week. Backed by remixes from the legendary David Morales and Loose Cannons, I feel as if “Crossfire” should do well on the dance charts but who knows what’ll happen.
This past week Flowers’ second single, “Swallow It” was digitally released here in the U.S. I’m not sure how I feel about this song. It kind of sounds like a VERY stripped down Killers’ song. Yes…Flowers was the voice of The Killers but for the first time I feel like I’m really hearing what Flowers sounds like and I have to say…I’m not impressed. There’s no question, Brandon Flowers has a great voice, I just don’t know how it does with this particular song. His delivery is just SO dramatic…which sort of clashes with the instrumental. Produced by Stuart Price and Daniel Lanois “Swallow It” is an interesting choice for a second single. In other news…check out this live footage of Flowers performing Kim Carnes‘ classic “Bette Davis Eyes.” It definitely restores my confidence in Flowers’ vocal abilities.
Flowers’ debut album Flamingo is due out in the UK September 6th and in the US on September 14th. All songs were written by Flowers and the majority of the album was produced by Stuart Price, Daniel Lanois and Brendan O’Brien.
