The Eagles are back, or are they? The band which formed and gained prominent success in the 70s with hits like “Life In The Fast Lane”; “The End Of The Innocence” and the Grammy Award-winning single, “Hotel California”, have just produced and released their latest studio album, Eagles; Long Road Out Of Eden, which sold more than 700,000 copies in the 1st week of release, according to CNN.

Characterised for decades as a rock band, the Eagles released an album with fresh, country sounds, an unusual album from the band. It might take awhile for you to get familiarised with the tracks if you used to listen to their older albums such as One Of These Nights. Their latest album lacks their original guitar playing and commanding lead vocals. Next to the iconic 1976 legendary hit, “Hotel California”, the album makes you wonder if the band has gone through a total revamp of musical identity and tastes.

The 2-disc album comes packed in a cardboard flip-out with CDs in 2 separate slots with picturesque designs of sand dunes. If you’re the sort to throw around your CD cases, the album cover is definitely not the one for you. It’s also harder to pull the CD out, often leaving fingerprints on the underside of the album. It would have been a better choice for the record company to release a plastic cover instead, for durability and ease of use.

The first disc comes with 11 tracks, and the second, 9 tracks. Track 7 from Disc 1 is “Waiting In The Weeds”, one of the very few songs that gels with the band’s older sounds. Besides its original style, the track is smooth and easy to listen to. “Waiting in the Weeds” starts off with the conventional playing of the guitar with the unmistakable voice of Don Henley. The song ends with a perfect display of a soothing instrumental piece by the band which allows you to sit back and relax.

However, you should be warned of the uncomfortable and sudden musical shifts. Just as you might have thought that the Eagles had returned to their old classic rock genre halfway through the CD, and you remember why you bought the album in the first place, the band jumps back with a country sounding track, “No More Cloudy Days”. This happens again with “Fast Company”, another rock track produced by the band.

The second disc starts off with “Long Road to Eden”, an amazing track which begins with hollow sounds before breaking into melodious instrumentals. This is one of the few songs where you can clearly hear Henley take the lead vocals, and when you can exult in the trademark Eagles sound and guitar play. UrbanWire reckons this track will be a hit for the band, comparable to “Hotel California”. Disc 2 seems to show more evidence of planning, with unadulterated rock tracks.

The minuses for the album are the lack of a clear genre identity, apart from the poor quality of the CD cover. This is unfortunate since it is likely the last album that the band will ever release, according to CNN on an interview with Henley. But on the whole, the album does offer soothing tracks and easy listening, and Disc 2 certainly makes up for lost ground in Disc 1. If you’re a die-hard fan of the Eagles, this might not be a track worth investing in, unless you just pay for selected singles. This long detour from eden has shown in the less than heavenly musical fare.

UrbanWire gives Eagles- Long Road Out Of Eden 3 out of 5 stars.