With 16+ years and nine studio albums behind it, the British rock band The Charlatans U.K. combines Stones-y swagger with dance and electronica. After forming in 1989, the group quickly established itself with the hit single "The Only One I Know," and the Charlatans' debut album, Some Friendly, met with similar success upon its release in 1990.
The next year saw the band add the "U.K." to its name at the behest of a San Francisco garage band from the early '60s that had already claimed that title. Undaunted by setback, however, the band released several critically and commercially successful albums over the next decade.
With their newest album, Simpatico, The Charlatans U.K.'s members find themselves in a different place then they were a decade ago. More mature and with a heightened emphasis on group interaction, Simpatico showcases just how far it's come as a band, especially on the oddly affecting single "Blackened Blue Eyes."
Copyright 2006 XPN
