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The Wallflowers
Rebel, Sweetheart
(Interscope)
First Appeared in The Music Box, May 2005, Volume 12, #5
Written by John Metzger
Success can be fleeting, sometimes frustratingly so. Just ask The
Wallflowers. After riding MTV’s mid-’90s, alt-rock craze to the top of the
commercial heap and receiving widespread recognition for the sturdy construction
of its sophomore effort Bringing Down the Horse, the outfit’s subsequent
(and better) album Breach was virtually ignored by everyone. With its
confidence understandably shaken and shattered, the band appeared to retreat on
the tentative Red Letter Days, leaving many to wonder if the ensemble
merely was trying to recollect its thoughts or if it simply had run out of
steam.
The Wallflowers latest offering Rebel, Sweetheart, however, is a
welcome return to form. Recorded rapidly, just after the completion of a tour
and under the guidance of fabled producer Brendan O’Brien, the effort
essentially merges the tight-knit urgency of the band’s stage show with the
variegated textures of its studio endeavors. Although the group shamelessly
continues to echo in its work the late ’70s, classic rock styles of Bruce
Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, and Jackson Browne, the
album’s rough and tumble edginess combined with the recent resurgence of
garage-infused bombast ought to be enough to put The Wallflowers back on the
map. Mixing tales of unsettled relationships with an undercurrent of political
anger, the outing certainly packs more of a multilayered punch than most
similarly minded affairs — though it buries its darker hues beneath its
infectiously uplifting melodic structures and allows the shadows to shade the
surface of its songs only on occasion. While Breach, for now, undoubtedly
will retain its title as the pinnacle of The Wallflowers’ 15-year career,
Rebel, Sweetheart provides proof that good, old-fashioned rock ’n‘ roll not
only won’t ever die, but that it also is frequently far more timeless than the
usual array of trend-chasing side treks put forth by ensembles that are trying
to stage a comeback.  ½
Rebel, Sweetheart is available
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Rebel, Sweetheart is also available as a DUALDISC
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2005 The Music Box
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