Notes

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Paul Westerberg's solo career wasn't flourishing before he released his second album, Eventually, but that record effectively halted whatever momentum he had. Sinking into a deep depression and realizing it was time for a change, Westerberg left Reprise, signed with Capitol records and teamed with Don Was, the first time in years he worked with a heavyweight producer. Suicaine Gratifaction, the awkwardly-titled result, is a bit of a mess, at times seeming like the artistic comeback it was intended to be, at other times sounding as stilted as Eventually. To his credit, he doesn't rock out, a problem that plagued his two previous records, but he never sounds completely convincing as a confessional singer/songwriter. It could be because the depression that flows underneath his ballads provokes alienation, not empathy (especially since he sounds so tired throughout the record), or it could be that his slower numbers only occasionally boast melodies as memorable as his gently ambling mid-tempo pop-rockers. Either way, Suicaine Gratifaction is too mannered, not only in its presentation but within Westerberg's songwriting itself — there's little of the self-depricating wit that was apparent as recently as 14 Songs (it only surfaces on "Whatever Makes You Happy"), there's little of the disarming honesty that made his best work resonate so deeply. Since Was is a skilled recordmaker, the album holds together better than Eventually, even if the songs rarely eclipse the standard set but its predecessor — which is the reason why Suicaine Gratifaction ultimately feels unfulfilling, even if it doesn't sound half bad as it's playing.