Blind Melon's first release in 12 years finds them starting
over but still more than capable of kicking out the jams.
To tell the truth, I wasn’t sure what to expect from them.
Shannon Hoon’s death was such a great loss and his voice
was so distinct that I thought his absence would be too
great to overcome. I was wrong. The new vocalist, Travis
Warren, seems to possess a lot of the qualities Shannon
had. His voice is similar to Shannon’s and yet still his
own.
The songs on For My Friends sound funky and jam
band like, but not 20 minute drug induced trance hippy-like
jam band; at least not exactly. Lyrically they are peace
and love, as evidenced on the title track. It’s a song about
his love for his friends. Musically, I would call them a
Jam band with a purpose, meaning they have a pop structure.
I must confess I have a crush on this album. I have been
listening to it from beginning to end without skipping any
songs, and I’m known to have a quick trigger. However, this
also brings up the problem I have with the album. It’s not
a problem, just a small annoyance really. Only a few songs
standout on there own merit. It’s a cohesive album but I
found that I often didn’t know what song I was listening
to. Still, this is a really solid album. They play the hell
out of their instruments and Warren sings with so much passion,
you can’t help but fall in love with it. A few of the standout
tracks are “With the right set of eyes,” “Cheetum Street,”
and “Last Laugh.”
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