NEW RELEASE: Earthling - Eddie Vedder

 I begin this review with sheer sacrilege to many great music fans across the universe.

I hate Pearl Jam. I have never enjoyed them. I find it draining to get through an entire album of theirs. It could very well be I chose the wrong albums, but I have had zero inclination to review their entire discography. But one thing I have not done, despite part of my personal feelings being a dislike for the tone of the lead vocalist, is listen to a solo Eddie Vedder album. Today I leap into my doom, hitting play on his latest release. 

The album begins with "Invincible", and the chosen cadence of the beginning of this song is enough to make me regret turning this on at all. The chorus melody itself actually is not so bad. But his choice of melody for the talk-singing does NOT work. 

It shifts to "Power of Right", which sounds a bit rougher around the edges of a rock song. The song feels inherently political without being very direct. It is regardless, more appealing that the introduction song. I am a bit surprised how removed from the regular Pearl Jam vocalizations it seems in places.

"Long Way" weirdly...makes me think of Tom Petty. I was not expecting that. It feels heartfelt despite the vague lyricism. It allows you to place yourself more. 

"Brother the Cloud" is lyrically more profound, but I feel the musical style does not add to the lyrics. You can really hear the influence of the Red Hot Chili Peppers helping on this track. 

by the time we are at "Fallout Today", I am genuinely surprised how mellow this album has been so far. This is Pearl Jam's guy! I don't consider this a bad thing though. I kind of think this fits him nicely.

"In the Dark" almost sounds like it would be played on a cheesy hallmark movie. But sometimes you need that sort of whimsical pop-rock song to make you feel the moment a bit. It is oddly...not far instrumentally from a newer Goo Goo Dolls song. 

Alright. Eddie Vedder finally did something I like. "The Haves" is a beautiful ballad. His voice fits the melody so nicely, and the shakiness of his voice makes it feel so vulnerable. God...what is happening here. This was supposed to be BAD! I was supposed to roast it!

We then take a switch to me remembering what I don't like by Eddie Vedder, with the more grunge influenced "Good and Evil". I think this may be the worst since the starter track to me.

"Rose of Jericho" is alright. It feels a bit forgettable and lost between the other tracks. Even the bad ones have a sort of memorable quality. This feels like it doesn't know what it is.

When I heard that horn or such come on for "Try", I decided in this moment Eddie Vedder will...try anything. Including some weird Mumford and Sons kind of vibe with a hint of grungy efforts. This is definitely not a perk to the album.

"Picture" is a duet with Elton John. Weirdly, they sound better together than I imagined. It feels kind of whimsical and fun in general. 

I think I like this softer side of Vedder. "Mrs. Mills" is a lovely track that sticks with me even as it ends. Feel sentimental and vulnerable again. 

The album closes with "On My Way", a short track that links back to the introduction track. I could give or take it.

LYRICS: 7/10 - I find many of them vague but also well written. The lyrics are meant for your interpretation, kind of like a Robert Frost poem structure. I appreciate that sort of lyricism. It is harder to do. It requires you to somewhat distance yourself enough to keep it from being too direct.

MUSIC: 6/10 - Some things worked beautifully, other things did not.

Overall: 6/10 - I think this album is something anyone could enjoy a song or two off of. It is actually a very solid effort. It feels a bit like life - moments of hope and moments of deep darkness. Yet we do try to go on. I recommend taking a try of this. It has a lot of influences in it along with what makes Pearl Jam what it is - even if you do hate it like I do.