The Diableros

The Diableros caught everyone napping with the release of their fine debut, You Can't Break the String in Our Olympic Hearts, two years ago. This time round, the curse of the sophomore slump looms and expectations are higher. But the Diableros deliver on this record, sort of. The Diableros Aren't Ready For The Country isn't that different from the debut, rather it's a sharper, more consistent version of that album. Certainly there's much to be said for fine, subtly anthemic songs like "Turning Backwards" and "Ever Changing," which indicate that they've started to develop their own sound without quite ditching their Creation Records leanings. "Mist," the closest the Diableros have ever come to a soul song, unravels unhurriedly and unexpectedly into the emphatic fist-pumper "Telepathic Love." Clearly there is no shortage of things to like about this album but it's hard to come away completely satisfied. While there are three or four fantastic songs, the album just sounds a little too familiar, a little too safe to really fall in love with.