Let It Reign

''Let It Reign'' is the debut studio album by English rock band Carl Barât and the Jackals. It was released on 16 February 2015 through Cooking Vinyl. Recorded in Los Angeles and London, it was produced by Joby J. Ford and Davey Ray Moor. The album debuted at number 47 on the UK Albums Chart.

Critical reception

''Let It Reign'' was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 67, based on sixteen reviews. The aggregator AnyDecentMusic? has the critical consensus of the album at a 6.5 out of 10, based on thirteen reviews.

Mark Beaumont of ''NME'' praised the album, calling it "the most electric and exuberant record he's made since '' Up the Bracket''". Caroline Sullivan of ''The Guardian'' stated: "this feels like a placeholder for the forthcoming Libertines album, but, as placeholders go, it's a stormer". AllMusic's Heather Phares determined: "''Let It Reign''s appealing mix of nostalgia and vitality proves that Barât can not just survive, but thrive outside of the confines of his other, storied band". Lisa Sookraj of ''Exclaim!'' noted: "it's the slower, more "mature" tracks that disappoint here.... Still there's plenty to like on ''Let It Reign'' for Libertines fans missing that garage rock sound". Jeff Strowe of ''PopMatters'' wrote: "it's an affair that is much more snarling and punkish than solemn and introspective and one that appears to have been a good representation of what he had in mind".

In mixed reviews, Lily Moayeri of '' Under the Radar'' declared: "a return to the garage rock that has propelled most of his musical endeavors, the primary thrust of ''Let It Reign'' is guttural. There are, however, tempo and minor style changes along the way that stop the album from being one long string of yells". Dusty Henry of '' Consequence'' stated: "save for the singles, it all feels inconsequential. It plays more like a young band who grew up worshipping ''Up the Bracket'', rather than identifying with the songwriter who helped forge the sound". Andrzej Lukowski of '' Drowned in Sound'' concluded: "as a warm up exercise for Barât's musical muscles and an honouring of a debt to The Jackals, ''Let It Reign'' is absolutely fine. But Libertines album number three will need to deliver a lot more than this". Phil Mongredien of ''The Observer'' resumed: "for the most part, these songs just sound as if they're being bashed out at a slower tempo".

Dan Owens of '' DIY'' gave the album one-out-of-five stars, admitting "''Let It Reign''s abrasiveness does little to deflect from its disappointing lack of ambition".

Track listing

Personnel

*Carl Barât – vocals, guitar (tracks: 1–6, 8, 10)
* Ray Suen – bass (tracks: 1–6, 8, 10), strings (tracks: 5, 10)
*Jarrod Alexander – drums (tracks: 1–6, 8, 10)
*Alfredo Ortiz – percussion (tracks: 1, 3, 4)
*Sara Bauza – trumpet (tracks: 2, 8)
*Joby J. Ford – additional background vocals (tracks: 3, 5), producer & engineering (tracks: 1–6, 8, 10), vocal editing (track 6)
*Billy Tessio – guitar (tracks: 7, 9)
*Drew McConnell – bass (tracks: 7, 9)
*Jay Bone – drums (tracks: 7, 9)
*Andrew Wyatt – piano (track 10)
*Beau Burchell – mixing
*Jonathan Gilmore – engineering (tracks: 7, 9)

Charts

References

External links

*

{{Authority control
2015 albums
Carl Barât albums
Cooking Vinyl albums