38. Eddie Vedder - "Earthling"

Those curveballs keep on coming. I know this will have me run out of town, but I have never bought into the cult of Pearl Jam. “Ten” was OK, but was a bit commercial for my tastes at the time, and subsequent albums have seemed whiny and self-absorbed. 

So, imagine my surprise then to find myself utterly transfixed by an Eddie Vedder solo album. It’s ace. Utterly ace. It’s like Springsteen but with added swagger. It feels rootsy and grounded, but also has that twinkle of stardust. It doesn’t feel like most career gap solo efforts which, in the main, stink of self-absorption and a general candour of “will this do?” Instead, “Earthling” has the ear of a record lovingly and painstakingly created. 

The songs are well crafted and beautifully rendered and Mr. Vedder himself refrains from any level of self-indulgence. Instead, he feels restrained and sparing. Which leads to the album feeling granular and connected (pun intended) to the earth. Very much an unexpected joy.