Pearl Jam CD Review

I just picked up the new self-titled Pearl Jam CD that came into stores this past Tuesday. I've only listened through the CD once, so some songs may grow on me in time or get old fast. We shall see.

From articles and reviews I read, this CD has garnered quite a bit of hype, as it being their best work in a long time. I have not followed the alternative rock scene too closely in the past few years, so I really can't say if that's the case or not.

After one listen through, I can remember why I initially got into Pearl Jam, and at the same time, why I slowly got tired of them.

The CD starts off quickly with "Life Wasted," "World Wide Suicide," "Comatose," and "Severed Hand." Then it slows down some with "Marker In The Sand," "Parachute," and "Unemployable." It rocks hard again with the next track, "Big Wave," and slows back down some with "Gone," "Wasted Reprise," "Army Reserve," "Come Back," and "Inside Job." While there's a good mixture of tempo between tracks, many sound similar to one another or to past songs I've heard of theirs. Many of the harder tracks are reminiscent of one another. One song sounds very similar to an old hit of theirs, "Better Man."

Lyrically, the album is solid. Eddie Vedder's voice is in top-notch form. If there was more variety between the tracks, I'd most likely be very impressed with the CD, but there isn't enough, especially with the harder songs.

I'd have to say my favorite song on the CD has to be the final one, "Inside Job." It's the song that truly stands out on the album. There are the slow tunes, the hard tracks, and then there's "Inside Job" that stands all on its own. "Comatose" is probably my favorite hard track.

For all the hype it received, I'm somewhat disappointed. It's a good, solid album, but in no way is a great one. It's a shame, in a way, that Pearl Jam's debut album had to be "Ten." They've been hard-pressed to ever match that album. They've made good CD's over the years, but have never equaled the beauty of that first album.

Grade: 7/10