Post by GtrPlyr on Sept 23, 2004 15:49:24 GMT -5
PAUL WESTERBERG Folker (Vagrant) The best reason to remain interested in Paul Westerberg's inevitably spotty output is that the former frontman for the Replacements still ranks as one of rock's most trenchant bards, a songwriter capable of elevating banal autobiography into something like universal truth. So it is on "My Dad," the best of the 13 tracks on his latest mixed bag of offerings. While the father in the song has never actually witnessed a performance by his celebrated musical offspring, he gets a private thrill out of seeing the family's name in print whenever the child's shows are reviewed. In Westerberg's capable narration, you can picture the father scanning the article for the shared surname without taking in the surrounding content. The rest of the songs aren't always as vivid or as consistently involving as those on 2002's superb Stereo/Mono double CD, but Folker's mix of power pop ("Jingle" and "As Far As I Know") and messy, rec-room rock ("Now I Wonder" and "Gun Shy") delivers its share of irresistible moments. Vit Wagner