Brandon Flowers performed a handful of new songs from his upcoming solo LP The Desired Effect at a hometown gig at the Bunkhouse Saloon in Las Vegas earlier this week. But as Stereogum points out, amidst the new material, the Killers frontman snuck in a delightful cover of Robert Palmer’s “Simply Irresistible.”
Considering he operates in similar vocal territory as Palmer — a baritone that bounces easily between relaxed and resplendent — Flowers was faithful to the original version of the song. Still, he was sure to inflect his performance with the kind of grandeur he’s known for, sporting a bright grin as he waltzed around the stage, mouthing the track’s “She’s so fine…” refrain as sung by his background singers.
Among the new tracks, Desired Effect opener “Dreams Come True” is a bounding pop-rock number reminiscent of classic Killers, though its harmonies and guitar work bear the distinct, effervescent sheen of Desired Effects producer Ariel Rechtshaid (Haim, Vampire Weekend).
On “Digging Up The Heart (Honky Tonk Version)” Flowers blended his grand, glam vocals into a charming, country-fried two-step; while “The Way It’s Always Been” was a stripped-down tale of confronting a dead-end life: “Everybody’s sitting around, waiting for the sun to come in,” Flowers softly sings at the end.
Flowers offered up performances of “Digging Up the Heart,” “Dreams Come True” and Desired Effect‘s first single, “Can’t Deny My Love” at a special gig at New York City’s Webster Hall Wednesday night. The Desired Effect is set for release on May 18th.