Tell Me I'm Pretty [CD]

The new album from Cage the Elephant is produced by the singer of Black Keys in which Aurerbach (Black Keys) shows his influence on Cage’s cd a good amount of times. Whether you like the Black Keys or not, it is still a decent album and should like it if you liked Cage’s previous albums. Although it is different with his influence though it might have been a similar direction the band would have went in either way. Their first album showed they are radio contenders with a decent amount of singles that did good on the alternative radio market. On their second one they had a decent amount of experimental songs still with some radio singles though didn’t do as well as their first one. On their third which they got nominated for a Grammy brought them to a somewhat poppy sound though still pretty alternative. Though this album’s sound is different than Melophobia, it is somewhat mainstream which probably had something to do with Auerbrach. What I seemed to notice the most is that they are not nearly as loose as they were especially their second one. The music seems more tight and focused although there still is a lot going on with the different types of music involved in their songs. At times this tighter and focused musical styles gives the songs a more mainstream sound. The album starts off with Cry Baby which is a decent lead off track. I feel it kind of incorporates some of their old stuff with all these different musical things going on while also displaying their new style which has the song tighter and focused. The next song is lead single “Mess Around” which has a mainstream radio sound though more loose than most of the other songs on the cd. “Cold cold cold” is my favorite as of now which is a mid tempo track. I really dig the musical break around the bridge part of the song. It reminds me of the 90s sound somewhat. “Trouble” is a real slow song in the versus but picks up somewhat in the chorus with touching lyrics such as “Trouble on my left, trouble on my right, I’ve been facing trouble almost all my life.” The last three tracks are mostly mid tempo throughout all three. “Punchin Bag” is probably the best out of them which also has lyrics that are most meaningful with the chorus where he sings “I’m not your punching bag.” All in all, it is a decent album from one of my favorite youngish bands. Although there are only three ballads it seems like there’s more almost because of how slow some of them are. For Cage fans, a song like “How are you true” might seem like a downer because of how slow it is but it is does not mean it is a bad song. Even with a real slow song like that, they pick it back up with three mid tempo with some upbeat edge songs. Going back to how the songs are not as loose as they were in previous ones, they are still rocking out but it is more focused with a more mainstream sound. They got away from their indie sound in a good amount of ways with their last album with more focused and mainstream sounds, but they seem to go further with that here. Even a loose rocker like “Mess Around” or “Punchin Bag” is not near a loose one on Melophobia like “Teeth” or maybe even “Black Widow.” With that said though it I still a decent album and they don’t seem to be as near mainstream as some of the the top mainstream rock bands from what I know at least like Black Keys (I don’t listen to too many young mainstream bands. I listen to mostly older bands). For example, even a ballad like “Trouble” which has hooks in the chorus and is somewhat mainstream, there isn’t too much going on in the versus in terms of hooks.

Cage The Elephant have a history of releasing decent records that have a couple of really good songs. Melophobia, Cage the Elephant's last CD had three really good singles: Come A Little Closer; Take It Or Leave It and the exceptional Cigarette Daydreams. On Tell Me I'm Pretty, their fourth CD, Cage The Elephant presumably wanted to step up to the next level of quality and success by working with Dan Auerbach, leader of arena filling blues rockers Black Keys. They gave us a great first impression of the CD with the single Mess Around, which resembles Black Keys' Lonely Boy but, with its fun, frenetic energy, is an original. The rest of Tell Me I'm Pretty may be a bit more consistent than previous Cage records but it's fairly similar to their other music. It's kind of weird, and kind of cool rock with a bunch of OK songs. Cry Baby, Trouble and That's Right(a goofy companion to Mess Around) are good. The rest of Tell Me I'm Pretty is fine but not great.

I will put this out there immediately. If you are a big fan of their earlier albums and music, then you may not like this album. It is nowhere near as fast as their earlier albums. I enjoy the album but it is different. If you don't like your artists to grow and change then look elsewhere. If you want them to grow then pick this up.

I love this CD. It was one of those blind purchases, I hadn't listened to samples online or anything. I've heard the band before only a few times on late night shows. All the songs are great. I love the mood these tunes create. I love, too, that it was produced by Dan Auerbach. This is getting a lot of repeated listening in my house.

Tell Me I'm Pretty is a very good CD. It has a retro feel to it. There is a 60's vibe to many of the songs. It is an ideal CD to listen to when on a road trip. The lyrics aren't to heavy and the songs are catchy and upbeat.

While not as energetic as their first album, this fourth continues to improve after their unfortunate second album and falls very much in line with the sound of their third. I miss the energy but I appreciate the direction they've taken.

I bought Tell Me I'm Pretty by Cage the Elephant on a spur of the moment whim after hearing one of their songs on the radio. I was blown away by how great all the songs are, not a dud in the bunch!

Cage the elephant have been recording and touring almost non stop for the last 5 years this cd showcases that fact they have honed their sound I was impresses with this cd I recommend it