The Pearl Jam frontman dove into an earthy folk realm with his solo record from the last year, the soundtrack for Sean Penn’s film “Into the Wild.” Using mostly acoustic guitars, the songs—overwhelmed by Vedder’s famous baritone, of course—follow down that same path that Pearl Jam’s material has, become rather simple musically and even more lyrically blunt (here, Vedder often sings from the perspective of the film’s lead character.) Still, Vedder’s a charming fella, and while “Into the Wild” maybe lacks the Pacific Northwestern roar of the best of Pearl Jam’s catalogue, the brooding affair is worthy of an ear. A solo event is a pretty unpredictable affair; if I had to guess, I would say expect a good amount of “Into the Wild” songs, some covers and a perhaps a few scattershot Pearl Jam songs for which Vedder doesn’t need Mike McCready or Stone Gossard. And with the acoustics of the Auditorium Theatre, his voice should boom. (Tom Lynch)
Cool Aid: A Review of Situation Chicago 2 The album does an outstanding job of bringing home the staggering sonic and stylistic range we deny ourselves when we return too often to the same genre well.
