Pearl Jam have always had their detractors, and many may have thought an Eddie Vedder solo album of ukulele songs was more like an April Fool. How you feel about this album will depend very much on your feelings about Eddie Vedder’s voice, as it’s hugely prominent in the mix.
The limited instrumentation makes songs like Can’t Keep (an old Pearl Jam song) sound very thin, the sound could really do with being filled out. It’s all in a similar vein to Soon Forget off Pearl Jam’s Binaural album from 11 years ago. That worked as a one-off but wears out its welcome over a whole album.
Mercifully the format means that most of the songs are short, less than 3 minutes for the most part. Some of Vedder’s singing is quite good, eg. his quavering/quivering voice on the sensitive Broken Heart. Later we get guest appearances from Glen Hansard and Cat Power, but they can’t rescue this album.
This album might have worked with a guitar replacing the ukulele but he probably should have kept this experiment to himself. Boy are his band missed here. It’s a shame as his soundtrack for Into the Wild got it so right. It’s a serious misstep in an almost flawless career.
By: Killian Laher.
Track Listing:
1. Can’t Keep
2. Sleeping by Myself
3. Without You
4. More Than You Know
5. Goodbye
6. Broken Heart
7. Satellite
8. Longing to Belong
9. Hey Fahkah
10. You’re True
11. Light Today
12. Sleepless Nights (featuring Glen Hansard)
13. Once in Awhile
14. Waving Palms
15. Tonight You Belong to Me (featuring Cat Power)
16. Dream a Little Dream
