[Editor’s note: Portions of this review appeared
\npreviously on houseofshred.com.]<\/p>\n
“What do you want from me?” Geddy Lee asks on the title track of
\nhis solo debut
\nMy Favorite Headache<\/i>. That’s an easy question to answer,
\nGed. For many years Rush fans everywhere have been spreading rumors
\nand speculating about a Lee solo album. I can remember as far back
\nas 1980 hearing that question asked by fans on call-in radio shows,
\nand it’s a common topic on Rush-related discussion boards. After
\nmore than 25 years with Rush, we got our wish and the result is
\nwell worth the wait.<\/p>\n
Supporting Lee and co-producing is a lesser-known Canadian
\nlegend, guitarist\/violinist Ben Mink, who has spent the last few
\nyears producing (and getting Grammy’s for) country crooner KD Lang.
\nIn a previous life, Mink fronted the prog-rock band FM and guested
\non Rush’s
\nSignals<\/i> album. Mink delivers understated yet complex guitar
\nand strings, and shares writing credits with Lee on all eleven
\nsongs. The violin and viola provided by Mink add fantastic layers
\nof texture to many of these songs. On drums is Soundgarden and
\nPearl Jam veteran Matt Cameron. Lee, of course, plays bass as well
\nas piano, guitar and percussion.<\/p>\n
From the outset Geddy makes sure you know exactly who you’re
\nlistening to. Opening the disc is the title track with a thumping
\nbass done in Geddy’s inimitable style. Lee, however, does not use
\nthis record as a stage for bass acrobatics, though he does do some
\nvery cool stuff with multiple bass lines (as many as four on some
\nsongs). It’s kind of like Lee knows he’s the Godfather of the Bass
\nand doesn’t need to prove anything on that front. The real
\nshowpiece here is Geddy’s incredible voice – arguably one of the
\nmost distinctive and well-known voices in rock music today. After
\nalmost 3 decades his awesome pipes sound as strong and fresh as
\nthey did when Lee screamed “Oh Yeahhhh!” on the opening track of
\nRush’s first album in 1974.<\/p>\n
Without a doubt, immediate comparisons will be made to Rush’s
\nmusic. Will Lee’s album be just a Rush clone? It’s definitely not.
\nGranted, there are a couple of songs that would fit easily in with
\nthe last two Rush albums. All in all, this is a unique collection
\nof songs and styles, propelled by catchy rhythms and tasty hooks
\nthat will be stuck in your head from the first listen.<\/p>\n
Lee’s songwriting skills are excellent, despite him not really
\nhaving been a lyricist for nearly 20 years (Rush drummer Neil Peart
\nis the band’s lyricist while Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson write
\nmost of the music). Displaying a dry wit and a keen observation of
\nthe world and its strange inhabitants, Lee writes about what he
\nsees around him. He is part wide-eyed kid and part jaded
\ncurmudgeon. Mostly as an observer, Lee seems to be more spectator
\nthan participant. He tells of the pitfalls of complacency on the
\nsong “Runaway Train” asking “Who’s the fool, where apathy rules?”
\nand of the futility of hindsight on the disc’s closer “Grace To
\nGrace.” He warns us of the dangers of obsessive behavior on
\n“Working At Perfekt”: “But when it’s right it’s right as rain, and
\nwhen it’s right there is no pain and when it’s right you start
\nagain…”<\/p>\n
One track that stuck in my head from the outset is the hard
\nrocking “Moving to Bohemia,” a tale of escaping the boredom of
\nsuburbia for the less pastoral pleasures of urban life: “Where the
\nairs’ not clean, where the water’s glowing green, where the dogs
\nare mean.” With its groove-infected guitar\/violin melody and
\nsing-along chorus, this song will stick with you.<\/p>\n
Another great track is “Home on the Strange,” a narrative about
\na guy that could very well be a Gen-X Tom Sawyer. Tom, like Lee
\nhimself, is 20 years down the road from his appearance on Rush’s
\nMoving Pictures<\/i>, eyes not so wide as they once were, and a
\nlittle more wary of the world and the constant changes around
\nhim.<\/p>\n
Honestly the only negative thing I can think of to make is the
\nlack of spectacular solos from either Lee or Mink, either of whom
\nis more than capable some high-octane shredding. Fortunately for
\nus, the superb playing and lush arrangements more than make up for
\nthe lack of instrumental acrobatics. Every song is generously
\nlayered with creative musicianship; without ever falling into the
\ntrap of being musical filler. Mink’s violin meanders in and out of
\nthe mix, subtle keyboards and multiple bass and lead lines weave in
\nand out of each song and make for a full, rich tapestry of
\nsound.<\/p>\n
The songs range in style from straight ahead rockers to serene
\nballads. The instrumentation and arrangements are superb, showing
\nthe great artistic sensibility that has become a trademark of Rush
\nalbums over the years. Combined with Lee’s intelligent lyrics, this
\nrecord will please Rush fans and fans of great music alike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":26723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"artist":[7033],"rating":[5646],"class_list":["post-37982","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-geddy-lee","rating-rating-a"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/37982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/37982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37982"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=37982"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=37982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}