Taking things a little more seriously -- but never too seriously -- the second time around, the
Eagles of Death Metal's
Death by Sexy keeps the freewheeling, just-for-the-hell-of-it vibe that made
Peace Love Death Metal so much fun and improves on it with more focused songwriting. This songwriting, as the title
Death by Sexy implies, is obviously focused on a raunchy good time, which the album delivers in spades. Not so obvious, though, is how fine the line between lusty and skanky can be. Most of the time, as on "I Want You So Hard," "I Like to Move in the Night," and "Cherry Cola," the
Eagles of Death Metal stay on the sexy side of that line, but they even do the nasty (so to speak) stuff well: On "I Got a Feelin' (Just 19)" and "Shasta Beast," head
Eagle Jesse "The Devil" Hughes -- who sports a mustache not seen outside of '70s porn (or, possibly, Terry Richardson's high-sleaze photography) -- sings of barely legal girls who still live with their parents, and gets downright cruel on the glammy stomp of "Poor Doggie." Even though
Death by Sexy is more fleshed-out than their debut was, the
Eagles of Death Metal's simplest moments are still their best. Along with the previously mentioned "I Want You So Hard" and "Cherry Cola" -- which has backing vocals courtesy of
Brody Dalle that give it an extra-sexy edge -- the album's standouts include "Chase the Devil," which marks the return of Hughes' demented
Elvis impersonation, and "Solid Gold," a rollicking-yet-hypnotic instrumental that could soundtrack a go-go dancing contest. Fittingly for its on-the-prowl vibe,
Death by Sexy spends a minimum of time on brooding tracks like "Eagles Goth" and "Bag O' Miracles." Instead, it focuses on songs that sound good in bad places, and its gloriously, thoroughly trashy fun makes it a guilt-free fling. ~ Heather Phares