| · Has Paul Westerberg finally figured out what the hell to do with himself after The Replacements?
Following his glory days in Minnesota's seminal garage-punk band The Replacements, frontman-genius Paul Westerberg's tender, tepid solo work convinced many fans he was little more than the James Taylor of post-punk. Then he released Stereo and Grandpaboy's Mono, a quality double-disc set indicating that maybe, just maybe, Westerberg was back to garage-y form. With Dead Man Shake, the sophomore Grandpaboy release, Westerberg and his bandmates have chucked another curveball. As their presence on the highly respectable Fat Possum label hints, it seems the lads fancy themselves a blues band now.
It's not too much of a departure – there's always plenty of R and B buried in Westerberg's music, and here it collides nicely with his loose, sloppy vocals and penchant for squawky guitars. Of course, true blues require a feel that Dead Man Shake is often lacking, but Westerberg compensates with his off-kilter charm. Songs like "Vampires & Failures" and "Natural Mean Lover" are proof he should stay put for a change and fine-tune Grandpaboy's new approach. But don't count on that happening.
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