I am one of the biggest fans of Everclear there is, and I’ll admit that when they came to the Second City to play in November of 2024, it didn’t particularly bother me who was on with them.
However, headlining that night was Soul Asylum, and it was immediately as obvious as the nose in front of your face that they were very, very good indeed.
“Whilst they’ve got the songs to bother the arenas back home, Soul Asylum are the proud outsiders, doing it their way.” I wrote that night, and the phrase “doing it their way” comes back again and again when listening to “Slowly But Shirley.”
Album number 13 and their first in four years it might be, but right from the intro of “The Only Thing I’m Missing,” it’s clear that Soul Asylum is here to enjoy themselves. There’s something about guitar solos opening a song. It always sounds like there’s so much glee about it. This—which sounds like it belongs on college radio in about 1989—is no exception.
“High Road,” which comes in on the back of loads of harmonies and sees our mate Dave Pirner reason that “I always wanted to be somebody,” hides its self-doubt beautifully.
And that’s before you even get to the choruses here. Even the more genteel ones like “You Don’t Know Me” are still impossible to forget, and the angry ones make their point with no ambiguity.
Who “Freeloader” aims its ire at, you can choose. “I quit everything I believed in,” it spits. The contrast with the band singing it could not be more stark.
This is Soul Asylum doing what they’ve always done. But arguably better. No joke.
Then “Tryin’ Man,” with no warning at all, gets as funky as Livin’ Colour. A party anthem. “If I die before my time, I’d better be having a good time” is quite a mission statement when you think about it.
“Freak Accident” is the sort of “Runaway Train” moment, if you will. Beautifully done, and underlining Dave Pirner’s gift—for that’s what it is—for melody. Plus, just in case you thought it was a fluke, “If You Want It Back” makes sure to put it at the forefront again.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about all this is the energy. Not many bands that released their first album in 1984 sound this switched on. Even fewer write the wonderfully satirical, “Waiting For The Lord”.
The guitar on “Trail By Fire” is as insistent as it gets, as are the drums on “Makin’ Plans,” and there’s a dirty blues groove on “Sucker Maker” that Steven Tyler might be proud of.
Maybe they just thought for this one, “anything goes,” but the way Pirner writes songs is unlike anyone else. The last one, “High And Dry,” is as clever as it gets. Be careful what you wish for, it seems to say.
Yet, it’s difficult to imagine that this isn’t exactly as it was dreamt. “Slowly But Shirley” is a superb record. The reasons for this are myriad, but for review purposes, we’ll pick just one: it sounds like it belongs in the ’90s, but you’d best believe it knows its place in 2024 too. By staying true to their sound but also pushing the boundaries, Soul Asylum has made something that’s up there with its best ever.
Rating: 9.5/10
REVIEW: SOUL ASYLUM – SLOWLY BUT SHIRLEY (2024)
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