Stone Gossard - Bayleaf

[MiketheangrydrunkenCUfan]

First of all, let me start by saying that I'm NOT a Pearl Jam fan at all, so it pains me to say this, but this album is pretty fucking great. A friend who is a PJ fan played a couple songs for me and it sounded very nice. I borrowed it from him, listened to the whole thing, and now I'm gonna have to start looking for a used copy. Funky, bluesy, melodic, and very un-Pearl Jam-y. The title track is the standout, even if it owes a heavy debt to Neil Young. "Cadillac" could pass for a Sublime song, and "Anchors" & "Every Family" are nice little blues rock songs. His voice isn't the greatest, but hey, at least it's not Eddie Vedder.

The more I think about it, I might not really hate Pearl Jam as a whole. Maybe I just hate Eddie Vedder's pompous, self-important ass. I liked Mad Season. I liked Temple Of The Dog. I like this CD. They just need to ditch Vedder and I might become a fan...