Heart On

iTunes Review

Eagles of Death Metal burst out the gate in 2004 with swaggering songs of sexual innuendo and guitar riffs hooky enough to work their way into countless television commercials. While EODM shares guitarist/drummer Josh Homme with the more established Queens of the Stone Age, with Heart On they’ve sealed the deal as a stand-alone outfit with plenty of original ideas and heart-pounding energy. Fans of their earlier work might be left in search of ultra-crisp, punchy numbers like “I Only Want You” and “Cherry Cola” after working through tracks here like “Prissy Prancin,’” “Solo Flights,” “Cheap Thrills,”  and “Heart On,” all of which sound like an ‘80s punk band dipped in ‘70s Rolling Stones raunch (not necessarily a bad thing). Fresher sounding standouts include the funky “Tight Pants,” the gyrating “I’m Your Torpedo,” the taut and bouncy “Secret Plans,” and the opening track “Anything ‘Cept the Truth,” with its glistening shards of tambourine bouncing off roiling, grinding guitars and Jesse Hughes’ unctuous vocals promising little more than lust-driven lies. First single, “Wannabe in L.A.,” is worthy of the designation, a short, fuzzed-out frothrocker celebrating the high life in the city of angels.