Wanderlust

AMG Review of Wanderlust

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Scared that his celebrity couldn't sell Institute, his post-Bush post-grunge back-to-basics band, Gavin Rossdale retreated to his own name for his 2008 solo debut, WANDERlust, its very important capitalization unwittingly bringing to mind the spelling of DAUGHTRY, the band -- or perhaps it wasn't so unwitting, as on his own Rossdale pursues soft grunge designed to appeal to the broadest possible audience. It's the first time that Rossdale has so blatantly run for the traditional definition of the middle of the road (never mind that his Langer/Winstanley productions were the textbook definitions of crossover grunge), and he's happily embracing his role as Gwen Stefani's husband, writing songs about his contentedness as a family man. Rossdale does dredge up a bit of the old angst on occasion but this is a remarkably settled music -- a run at the middle by a musician who has spent his career as a star attempting to prove how hard he is, working with underground guru Steve Albini on Bush's second record and turning to Helmet guitarist Page Hamilton for Institute. All that Sturm und Drang and clatter and clang are forgotten here, as Rossdale restyles himself as a post-grunge Peter Cetera, crooning slick, smooth ballads, only dipping into his angry side toward the close of the album as he rants against L.A. and government in equal measure, in duet with Shirley Manson. It is no small irony that Gavin Rossdale sounds better in this setting than he does in his harder rock -- he's a better vocalist and more charismatic than most of the dullards who followed in his wake -- but this is still more concerned about appearances than hooks or drama.