"Times" are a-changin' on new Kings of Leon CD

By Jonathan Cohen

NEW YORK (Billboard) - After spending the past year-and-change opening for U2, Pearl Jam and Bob Dylan, Kings of Leon have completed their third album, "Because of the Times."

The project will arrive April 3 via RCA; first single "On Call" hits iTunes on February 6 and U.S. radio outlets six days later.

"Because of the Times" is the follow-up to 2005's "Aha Shake Heartbreak," which has sold 182,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The group's profile remains higher internationally, where it regularly performs to sold-out crowds.

"We weren't scared to try anything," drummer Nathan Followill said. "I think that's the difference between this album and the last. We weren't timid at all."

Kings of Leon already has lined up four U.K. shows in late February and an appearance in late April at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. A more extensive tour will be announced shortly.

Reuters/Billboard