- Red Light Fever
- Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders
- RCA
If you can judge a band by the company it keeps, it's worth noting that the guest list for Hawkins's second album includes Dave Grohl, Brian May and Roger Taylor. Grohl, Hawkins's boss in the Foo Fighters, is no surprise, but Queen vets May and Taylor might be - at least until you notice the ornate glam touches given to Don't Have to Speak and the stomping Way Down. Hawkins remains one of the sharpest drummers in modern rock, but he's also becoming one of its better singers, thanks to an agile tenor that at its best evokes a less macho Roger Daltry, particularly when navigating material as smart and quirky as Not Bad Luck.