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Grandpaboy Grandpaboy brings out my paternal side. Half of me wants to pat Paul Westerberg, a.k.a. Grandpaboy, on the head and say, “That’s my boy!!” My other half wants to slap him on the head and say, “You can do better than that!” I dole out my praise for “Vampires and Failures,” a Warren Zevon-like rocker with a pelvis-pounding, monster-hook guitar riff. The remaining eight cuts emphasize blues, country-rock, and even a show tune. And throughout, the instrumentation and production values are stripped-down and understated, generally to the material’s benefit. |
| But the entire project has an “I’m talented but a little tired and lazy” vibe. And there’s where I dole out my slap—for unrealized potential. Since the Replacements imploded, Paul’s recorded output has been generally spotty and tepid alongside the hooks-galore, youthful spunk, and hilariously-sloppy-but-spot-on chops of the Replacements. Too much of Westerberg/Grandpaboy’s stuff since then has had that sloppy/tired/lazy vibe: charmingly casual in moderation, but appallingly wasteful across an entire album. | |
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There’s still plenty to enjoy on Dead Man Shake, more so than on any recent Westerberg album: tasty guitar work—acoustic, electric, and slide; the intimate, “organic” feel of “No Matter What You Say” that proves to be one of the album’s most satisfying moments. Also enjoyable: the country-blues kick of “Do Right in Your Eyes,” and a couple of the covers—the slide-driven take on Hank’s “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and the fresh but faithful reading of John Prine’s “Souvenirs,” which work better than the rest (especially a dreadful “What Kind of Fool Am I?” that makes me appreciate the Sammy Davis Jr. version more than I ever dreamed possible). |
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Ultimately, I liked Dead Man Shake more than I thought I would. I went in biased—for Westerberg’s legacy but against most of what followed. Admittedly, it’s not fair to measure a man against his past—ask Paul McCartney. But it’s also a testament to the regard we hold for what the guy has proven he can do. So it’s all about potential—realized and not. I’m happy to conclude that on Dead Man Shake, Paul Westerberg is getting back to where he belongs—realizing more of his awesome potential. —Bob Brown |
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