I’m sure a lot of people have been keeping an eye, and an ear, on Soul Asylum all these years, but for casual listeners, they were bubbling around in the early- to mid-90s, and hit the bigtime with their monster hit ‘Runaway Train’ in 1993. I personally found it quite insipid, but my late wife’s red vinyl 12” copy still sits in the record collection. I mean, insipid is infinitely better than ‘awful’. The fact that it was lifted from their sixth album, nine years after their debut, may come as a surprise, though. Just as a general public awareness or interest in their activity dropped off after that, so their bio stops there, too, but somehow almost 30 years on, ‘Slowly But Shirley’ arrives, and it’s album number 13.
‘The Only Thing I’m Missing’ makes for a lively start, and it’s got some punch, but it’s also a slice of really hackneyed country rock. ‘Hight Road’ is uptempo, breezy, radio-friendly in a 90s alternative kind of way, and it strikes me that this is the sound of a band which could, depending on your perspective, be considered timeless or frozen in time. It does seem that they’re still dining out on their ‘Grammy Award-Winning hit’, and on one hand, sure, hardly anyone wins a Grammy, so celebrate it – but equally, you’re only as good as your latest album, and what have they actually done of note on 30 years?
‘Slowly But Shirley’ certainly isn’t much of note, being a mix of middling country rock and absolute turd. ‘Freak Accident’ represents the former, and it’s ok, it’s fine, it’s not my thing, but it’s easy on the ear and probably good to drive to. ‘Tryin’ Man’ represents the latter: it’s just the worst of sub 80s ZZ Top meets Black Crowes US rock with a funk groove cack, and simply no-one needs it.
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There are some nice harmonies and some chunky guitars on the country / alt-rock / indie crossover of ‘If You Want It Back’, which is a bit beefier and less cliché, and ‘Waiting on the Lord’ isn’t terrible – it just sounds a bit mediocre, a bit... local band who probably will forever remain a local band. ‘Sucker Maker’, though, is dire, indulgent post-Zep naffness, late 80s hair rock style
And this is perhaps the biggest issue I have with ‘Slowly But Shirley’. It’s not out-and-out shit, but where it’s not shit, it’s so very nondescript – while at the same time struggling to establish its identity. A new band delivering these workouts would do alright down the local boozer, but wouldn’t get sniff of getting signed.
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