Angus Stone’s second solo album, Smooth Big Cat, released under his DOPE LEMON alias, is a psychedelic journey through a hazy, Wild Western fever dream. This record will keep you swaying to the music with its mid-tempo grooves full of reverb-soaked guitars and an ever-present twangy synth that always seems to come back. Stone’s cool, calm, and at times lazy, delivery flows like molasses over Santana-esque guitar riffs, bongo-backed beats, and everything in between. The album’s sound remains consistent throughout its 46-minute run-time, adopting a style of music that would appeal to John Wayne as much as it would Cheech and Chong. Each track tells a story, with Lonely Boys Paradise detailing an island you can never leave, and Smooth Big Cat chronicling the adventures of the album’s aptly named mascot. This is clearly Stone’s most personal project to date, seeing as he wrote, recorded, and arranged the entire thing himself. This is evidenced in the music as well, as he professes his relationship troubles on Hey Little Baby, and even includes recordings of his girlfriend in the heartfelt outro, Hey, Man Don’t Look at Me Like That, adding intimacy and vulnerability to the fitting end of this musical journey.
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DOPE LEMON – Smooth Big Cat
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