Cold War Kids | C+

It's becoming increasingly common for talented artists to hide behind a veil of meticulous production values to mask a lack of creativity. Cold War Kids, known for their raw energy and pained genuine emotion, have fully embraced the safety net of the studio on their third album, Mine Is Yours. Singer Nathan Willett's wailing vocals as expressed on earlier singles "Hospital Beds" and "Hang Me Up to Dry" sound as though they were shipped directly from the Kings of Leon warehouse (unsurprisingly, KoL producer Jacquire King is on hand). The result is a band reaching for Springsteen-esque heights, but in the end, the record feels decidedly more hollow and unmemorable than previous efforts.

This isn't to say that the album is devoid of any signature Cold War Kids emotion and flair, which at times is actually aided by the over-production. The arena-ready choruses sustain throughout their lead single "Louder than Ever," as well as "Finally Begin" and the title track "Mine is Yours," while Willett's soaring vocals reach a transcendent peak in the songs "Out of the Wilderness" and "Bulldozer."

However, the majority of the record fails to truly distinguish itself. It's not necessarily a failure of talent display, but it is definitely something listeners have heard before. Perhaps it's a good thing that the band doesn't take many risks, since the two tracks that actually stray from the prototypical formula are the weakest. The gloomy, fuzz-bass stomper "Sensitive Kid" and the half-hearted blues attempt "Cold Toes on the Cold Floor" stand out for all the wrong reasons.

Mine is Yours, serves as the Cold War Kids attempt to please everyone at once, but this effort is not always for the better. Despite several solid cuts, longtime fans are likely to be disappointed, as most of the album gets lost amid the increasingly generic label of radio-friendly rock.