The Silver Lining - Soul Asylum
The Silver Lining Image
  • Summary: The Dave Pirner-led band's first album in eight years includes tracks recorded with the group's late bassist Karl Mueller as well as The Replacements' Tommy Stinson (who, yes, served as a replacement).
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 12
  2. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. The group sounds genuinely reinvigorated.
  2. The Silver Lining suggests that Soul Asylum might still have another great album in them (especially if Murphy does more of the songwriting), but this one certainly isn't it.
  3. 30
    Most of it just falls flat, neither recapturing the glory days nor squarely moving the band into a new era. [#21, p.102]

See all 12 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. SoniaC
    10
    Great CD!!!!! is goog to have them back.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. JeanneD
    10
    I love this album!!!!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. MarkG.
    2
    The user who mentioned Nickleback gave away more than they probably realise. The problem with The Silver Lining is how bog-standard it is throughout. Pirner's once sharp lyrics (Black Gold, Somebody To Shove, Cartoon) are now riddled with cliches and the music is criminally lacking in hooks and the frayed-at-the-edges rawness of the pre-A&M days. There's nothing wrong with a band growing more accomplished and polished with age but Soul Asylum have become a tired, uninspired MOR rock band, more similar to the aforementioned Nickleback than their former selves. When you consider that these guys were once mentioned in the same breath as The Replacements, Buffalo Tom and Husker Du, a lame effort like The Silver Lining is criminal. The last great song from a member of Soul Asylum was Dan Murphy's Ill-Fated with Golden Smog. On the strength of that song and what the band were once capable of, there is still a glimmer of hope for Soul Asylum. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 10 User Reviews

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