It's hard to believe that House Of Shakira has been around for over a decade now. It seems like yesterday when I discovered them as a cool new band with a unique sound and an album called "Lint". Now they've become one of my favorites with an impressive library most bands would kill for. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the band is that they've kept the same lineup for all their albums!

For anyone who writes off this band as an 80's influenced Hard Rock is really missing the point. They don't follow the cliches' and pitfalls of trying to be trendy. Yes, they have a sound similar to that of Journey and bands from the 80's Hair band era, but they also have much more intelligent lyrics and a diverse sound. Having said that, "Retoxed" kicks off with a radio-friendly tune "Small Town" that actually has an Americana feel to it. You soon find out this album has some of their heaviest guitar work when "No Faith" kicks in. The fact is that normally you listen for the huge choruses from the band, this time the guitars grabbed my attention even more.

"Bloodline", "High Above" and "Life And Death" are all guitar driven songs, heavier than most of their previous work. They still maintain their melodic side however with songs like "Red Alert" and the massive sounding "Turkish Nights". I still havn't heard another band out their more creative with their backing vocals, "Bloodline" is a great example of how your can make a good verse sound great with some simple "bops" in the background. They pride themselves on their vocal prowess, an area most modern bands completely disregard.

Overall, I can't say this is their best, or worst album. They're as about as consistent as you get and each album requires repeated listening. Hell, I used to think their last album "First Class" was my least favorite until I pulled it out again a year after I got it, now I've reconsidered my initial assessment. The bottom line is that House Of Shakira makes ALBUMS, not just songs. They don't just play songs, they tell stories, and that's why the band has incredible staying power and a timeless sound.