Paul Westerberg - Stereo

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Music reviews of Stereo

Music Review: Excellent
Rating: 5 Stars

I won't bother to comment on all the little lyrical nuances that abound on these discs. Such an analysis of any Westerberg offering would be book-length. Suffice it to say that what we have here is the most solid set of songs from Paul since All Shook Down. Don't be fooled however--there's no "Bastards of Young," "Alex Chilton," or even a "Love Untold" in this set. Instead, each disc is an evenly paced, intuitive, and spirited effort from a man who knows how to craft great songs and who simply loves to play rock n' roll. (Again, just like Lennon.)

The first disc, Mono (recorded in mono), is really what every Replacements fan has been waiting for since All Shook Down. It's almost as if Westerberg recorded Mono right after, possibly in sarcastic response to some bonehead comment from a critic, friend, or fan that All Shook Down was overproduced. Although most of the songs are mid-tempo, they rock nevertheless and serve to demonstrate that Westerberg writes his best stuff when he doesn't think too hard about it. Two major cases in point are "Eyes Like Sparks" and "AAA"--each has about one verse and one chorus, but both are catchy as hell and will stick with you for months after hearing them only a few times. And there's much more on Mono where that came from. Great fun.

Stereo is the softer, more cerebral Paul that we've been hearing more and more of on his solo efforts. As far as this side of Paul's writing is concerned, Stereo's instinctive, acoustic guitar-driven confessions are a welcomed change from the calculated, piano-driven, almost Broadway musical schmaltz that marred much of 1999's Suicaine Gratifaction. Particularly moving are "No Place for You" and "Let the Bad Times Roll," the latter especially when you consider Paul's history. Oh!--and as a special treat, half of the Stereo's final track is an off-the-cuff stab at Flesh for Lulu's classic "Postcards from Paradise." Quite an encore.

I once heard Paul Westerberg say in an interview that a great song is one that you need to hear again immediately after the first listen. He's given us a bunch of those here and, despite his struggles since his Replacements days, and despite his claim in "AAA" that he "ain't got anything to say to anyone anymore," I hope he keeps up the great work. Not hearing from him again would truly be like losing a dear friend.

Description of Stereo

Alternative Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Pop
• Rock