As lead singer and bassist for Canada's Rush, it would appear that Geddy Lee doesn't have much reason to record a solo album. His high-pitched vocals and deep sounding bass playing is arguably the most distinctive sound associated with a band in rock history. Lee could record a whole album of Elvis Presley covers and people would think it's still Rush! With all of this going against him, Lee pressed on anyway and recorded "My Favorite Headache". Rush has temporarily been put on a shelf, mainly because of drummer Neil Peart losing his daughter to an automobile accident and his wife to cancer. It's understandable that such a tragedy would put the band on hiatus for a long while. With all of this going on, Lee decided it's time to put together his own release. The outcome is a solid effort that rivals any of the albums that Rush has released over the last 10 years.
For "Headache", Lee recruited some very talented musicians to assist him in the project. The title song "My Favorite Headache" kicks off the album with some serious bass strumming that would make John Entwistle and Spinal Tap proud! The interplay of bass and drums with minor chords from guitarist Ben Mink sounds more like a Pearl Jam tune than something Rush would put out. This shouldn't bee too surprising since drummer Matt Cameron has done work with Pearl Jam. On "Runaway Train", Lee's lyrics are intelligent and precise. "Who's the fool were apathy rules? You've got to want it. If you don't want it, it remains the same...". It's a cleverly worded song that reminds us that reaching new heights in life is something we need to work at instead of just taking everything for granted. Anyone who follows Rush knows that Neil Peart writes all lyrics. He's introspective and very open to writing about different topics in life. Lee must have felt plenty of pressure to match Peart's abilities, and on "Runaway Train" and many others he's successful. "Slipping" is actually a love song that features piano and acoustic guitar. Fans of Rush aren't usually subjected to material concerning love and relationships, so this is a nice change. But for the most part, many of these tracks would fit in perfectly on any Rush album over the last 15 years. "Present Tense" is proto-type Rush, even down to the double-tracked guitar that mimics Alex Lifeson almost perfectly. Lee chimes a positive theme on this song: "Open yourself up to the possibility; aware of some reality outside your world". Lyrics and content like this is why I enjoy Rush's music to begin with. It rocks when it has to, but it also makes you think.
I'm sure all Rush fans would find Lee's album very rewarding. Fans of this band are known to be some of the most loyal around, and I'm sure most of them understand why Lee decided to put out a solo release. In an interview I read, Lee makes no apologies for sounding like Rush since he's a major reason for that "sound" to begin with. Might was well go with the formula that works, and Lee does it well here. It's a good piece of music to listen to until Rush releases a new cd by the end of this year.
