in 1994, a little english band named bush went from playing small pubs to playing arenas practically overnight with the release of sixteen stone. in many ways, that was one of the seminal albums of the 90’s, featuring songs such as the anthemic comedown, the charging machinehead and the cryptically lulling glycerine. like many seminal debut releases, bush, by and large, could never live up to the initial success.

after 2001’s golden state, bush walked away from the limelight (or what was left of the limelight) and resumed life beyond bush. rossdale, the lead singer, had plenty to move on to (a wife that many people would have absolutely no problem going home to and, now, a couple children). so what is gavin rossdale doing 7 years later? he’s putting out a new solo record: wanderlust.

first of all, this record is definitely not bush. for those expecting bush, you will be disappointed. but, you will feel familiarly drawn back to the late 90’s when you hear rossdale’s breathy growl. there are, i should point out, moments that bring back a bush vibe, but all in all, this is a whole new direction.

rossdale is more sensitive in his lyrics and delivery and you can tell he’s put a few more years under the belt. lyrically, you hear someone who now has a family and is much less concerned with cryptic and driving lyrics. rossdale instead taps into something deeper lyrically which is a nice change.

while there are a couple moments that feel a little like mainstream top 40 rock radio, he manages to keep a fairly fresh sound that straddles the line between being radio-friendly and inventive. the sound subtly changes throughout going from an almost 80’s peter gabriel sound (future world) to modern rock a la skillet (the trouble i’m in). in this sense, there is a little more variety and thoughtfulness than past bush records  (particularly their later albums).

all in all, rossdale has put together a solid record that has managed to make its way into my 6-disc changer. so, go check it out.

*props to my friend chris for pointing out that gavin rossdale had a new record coming out…it says a lot when someone points out, to me, a record that i didn’t know about… 🙂