Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

Solo albums are difficult. It’s unavoidable that listeners will judge the new solo material by comparing it to the old songs done with the full band. Still, Gavin Rossdale decided to give it a shot. Although it’s been a while since the former Bush front-man has been in the news for music (as opposed to his famous spouse), he’s trying again with his debut solo album Wanderlust.

The best thing Wanderlust  has going for it is that Rossdale is the singer. His voice is pretty much the definition of manly rocker - husky and gruff but still open and accessible. As such, he could probably sing the phone book and people would still listen. That being said, his voice alone isn’t enough to redeem an album that quickly becomes repetitive. 

While Bush seemed to slant more toward the alternative side of rock, Rossdale’s solo work falls firmly in contemporary rock and with that comes all the predictability of top 40 rock a la Daughtry or Nickelback. Besides embracing a mainstream sound, Rossdale also leans a little too heavily on balladry. While it works sometimes (like on first single Love Remains The Same), it falls flat other times. The majority of the album just has that “already heard it” kind of feel and the handful of tougher tracks aren’t enough to alleviate the mediocrity. 

What Wanderlust teaches us is that Rossdale rocks best when he’s, well, actually rocking. Forget the bleak and vaguely anti-war Frontline and instead listen to the driving electric guitars and shouted chorus of the subtly menacing This is Happiness. It’s a bolt of excitement much needed on an album that’s acceptable, but not much else.