Gavin Rossdale – Wanderlust

• 25th Jun 2008

It seems Gavin Rossdale, lead singer of 90s grunge band Bush, has reached that determined point where he no longer wants to be known as ‘Mr Gwen Stefani’.

With the release of Wanderlust, he no doubt has a desire to be seen as a credible musician, who still has plenty to say. On this showing, he will no doubt go back to being the excellent house husband that he has most probably proven to be.

His voice is still strong; the gravelly sexiness from back in the day is still evident in brief flashes, but those moments are so few and far between that his voice comes across as bland and nondescript.

The main flaw of this album lies within the lyrics of each track. They seem repetitive and slightly juvenile. In ‘Future World’, a track that seems to be a negative acknowledgement of globalisation, he sings ‘Hamburgers so that we stay alive/Happy Meals means something died’. Although Rossdale wants to get a serious point across, you just cannot take it seriously.

‘Can’t Stop The World’ is the best of a bad bunch, and should definitely have been considered as the first single release from the album. That accolade went to ‘Love Remains the Same’, which makes you think not even Rossdale’s record label, is on his side.

The rest of the album is inoffensive, overly produced and makes you wonder if there really is room for Rossdale in the current musical environment. As much as you might have liked Bush, there is nothing original or fresh about this. What a shame.