Pearl Jam fans will be wetting themselves in anticipation of a new Eddie Vedder solo release, that is until they find out that he's gone the Tiny Tim route and is now tiptoeing through the tulips. Most of the record is just Vedder's desperate laments sung over his own ukulele playing. The ukulele sounds good, Vedder's voice sounds exactly the same here as on any past Pearl jam release. "Sleeping By Myself", "Longing To Belong", and "Sleepless Nights" are all pretty songs in their own right, but suffer, as does most of the album, from tired lyrical cliches used to relay heartbreak (open wounds, scars, oceans to cross, etc.). How many ways can you say, "my fucking heart is broken and it hurts so bad" anyway? Vedder songs work best when he's just letting the words flow from him, and not yelping in that signature, strained growl that, while appealing to a legion of fans, is exactly what really turns me off about his voice. Ukulele songs is a measured yet reflective work, and Jeremy will not have spoken, so Pearl Jam fans will probably want to put their lighters back in their pockets for that Pearl Jam reunion to come.
Buy this record if you used to own a jacuzzi but can only dip your toes in the neighbor's pool now.
www.pearljam.com
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