Blind Melon – For My Friends

Flashback: Blind Melon’s first album, self-titled, was pretty good – “No Rain,” “Tones of Home,” “Change” and “Time.” Their second album, “Soup,” got better the more you listened to it – “Galaxie,” “Toes Across the Floor,” “2×4.” Shannon Hoon was so deep into drugs that I read somewhere that he didn’t even remember recording “Soup” at all. I had tickets to see them in concert, but I never got to go because Hoon died of an overdose.

Flash forward, thirteen years later: a new album, a new singer (Travis Warren). I didn’t even think too much about it, because who could replace Hoon? I just so happened to pass by Best Buy, saw the album sitting there, and figured, what the hell. And what the hell was right – I was pleasantly surprised with what I heard. So pleasantly surprised that my favorite song of the year so far is on this album.

It took me all of two listens to realize that I really enjoyed it. And Warren does sound a lot like Hoon, so they didn’t have to completely change their sound. The first song, “For My Friends,” was ok but nothing special, but then tracks 2, 3 and 4 did it for me – “With the Right Set of Eyes,” “Wishing Well” and “Sometimes.” “Wishing Well” is just amazing. Awesome melody, great chorus, even a pretty good guitar solo. The rest of the album is pretty solid, all good songs, but those three songs alone give it a chance to end up as one of my favorite albums of the year.

It’s funny – Blind Melon became a band that I, and most people, pretty much forgot about. When I got a copy of their greatest hits, only a few months before the new album came out, I realized, wow, they have a ton of awesome songs in their back catalogue. And now they can add some new songs to the greatest hits mix.

Highly recommended to all.