A listing of the past week’s journalistic comparisons to PW.
Jesse Malin. Gregory Gaston of Cincinnati’s City Beat: Malin and his music also resemble one of his idols, Paul Westerberg, the former lead Replacement whose solo career has often been criticized for reflecting a more “mature” vision compared to his wild days of yore.
Wendy (of Prince’s Wendy & Lisa fame?!?!) Danny Sigelman of MPR’s The Current: The show peaked when Larry Graham and Wendy Melvoin (who I mistook for a second as Paul Westerberg) joined the band and tore through an extended medley of Sly and the Family Stone tunes.
Ryan Adams (always an easy target) Peter Bothum of the Delaware News Journal: But at least he didn’t cop someone’s act, like Ryan did with his Xerox job on Paul Westerberg’s schtick — the flaky behavior, the disheveled hair, the cigarette dangling.
Cabin. Jeffery Lee Puckett of the Louisville Courier-Journal: “Dance With Me” is a reflection on first love that positively aches in all the best ways, like the way a good, sappy Paul Westerberg song will (think “First Glimmer”)
Ryan Adams (again) Jon M. Gilbertson of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: With lush vocal sweetness reminiscent of Anne Murray’s early recordings and fragility lifted from Paul Westerberg’s wry woe, Adams eases into the dawning hope of “Goodnight Rose,” the slow grit of “Halloween Head” and the soft heartbreak of “Two Hearts.”
Matt Fisher And The Telephone Junkies. Joe Master of the Asbury Park Press: Taking his cues from the likes of Sir Paul, Joe Jackson and Paul Westerberg, Fisher has managed to navigate between power-pop bliss and art-rock noise with the very same shrewdness that his rock and roll heroes rode straight up the zeitgeist.
Spoon. Jim Farber of the NY Daily News: Singer Daniel’s husky voice can remind you of Paul Westerberg one minute, John Lennon the next.
As a woman, I am not sure if I would be flattered or offended if someone mistook me for Paul Westerberg. I might need to spend some time pondering this question.
My sister would prolly consider it a compliment, since she has perfected the Westerberg hairdid, circa 1985. She calls it “the yucca plant.”