This talented multi-instrumentalist from Pearl Jam, Brad, Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog and Green River is now taking his musical prowess a couple of steps further as songwriter and lead vocalist on his d�but CD, called "Bayleaf". Apart from the three tracks where veteran Ty Wilman performs lead vocals, I personally found Stone's vocals to be very pleasurable and unique, with a good enough range between the low and high registers to avoid having every song sound the same.
While the lead single track chosen for this CD was the immensely appealing 'Unhand Me', sung by Ty, my first choice would have been 'Fits', a spooky bit of gothic psychedelia continuing in the vein of 'Nothing's As It Seems', which sent shivers up and down my spine! Other stand-out tracks included 'Cadillac', the title track, 'Bayleaf' (with megaphonic-sounding vocals by Stone), and 'Every Family'.
The wide variety of musical styles presented (glam rock, soulful blues, laid-back reggae, and harmonious country rock) was further enhanced by a cornucopia of strange and exotic instrumentation performed by as many backing players as instruments, particularly Guy Davis on bass and Ron Weinstein on keyboards. Stone Gossard and producer Pete Droge took turns playing musical chairs on various instruments as well.
To give you an idea of the versatility in sound, both vocally and instrumentally, I heard influences by Marc Bolan (T-Rex), Lou Costello, Tom Petty, Neil Young and Lou Reed. Although the majority of the CD consists of upbeat or really interesting tracks, it kind of fizzles out at the end - like a sports car that just ran out of gas. Other than that, a pretty groovy work of art! |
