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In the seven years since the release of Bush’s last album, Golden State, things have changed quite a bit for former frontman Gavin Rossdale. Since then, he’s become a family man. He married No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani, and they’re currently expecting their second little rock star together. He’s done a bit of acting, too. And though he played around with another band for a while, he’s spent much of those years out of the musical spotlight.
After all those years—and life-changing events—then, it’s no surprise that Rossdale’s music has changed a bit with him. And while you’ll still recognize that same gravelly voice on his first solo album, Wanderlust, Rossdale’s style has definitely toned down a bit since his Bush days.
Unlike Rossdale’s wife’s recent solo albums—which have been filled with fluffy teen pop that seems to suggest a regression in maturity—Wanderlust is a thoughtful and grown-up album. It’s music made by a family man—a man who clearly loves his wife and kid. Throughout the 12-track album, he sings of challenges and struggles and obstacles, but he also sings about his love for his family (“I miss my wife and family / They move heaven and earth for me”). And while it still has that gritty edge to it from time to time, there’s something a bit prettier about many of the songs on the album. They’re often more romantic—and more laid-back—than the stuff you’ve heard from Rossdale before.
But, of course, that doesn’t mean that Wanderlust is an album full of pretty ballads. Rossdale still has a bit of Bush in him—and there are times (especially on the second half of the album) when he cranks it up a notch or two. But when he tries to sound a bit heavier, it feels almost half-hearted—and some of those heavier tracks are the album’s low points. For instance, “This is Happiness” has a great sound—with just the right amount of grit—but the sound just doesn’t work with the lyrics. It’s an angsty-sounding song—and it just doesn’t feel right when he tries to growl lyrics like “This is happiness (woo!).” But then he makes up for it with the next track, “Another Night in the Hills,” Rossdale’s ode to the crazy Hollywood lifestyle, which has some of that familiar, old-Gavin edge to it—but with a more grown-up perspective.
Wanderlust doesn’t sound like just another Bush album—so if that’s what you’re expecting, you’ll be disappointed. It’s not an album that’s going to make you rock out on air guitar in your living room. It is, however, a pretty good album for old Bush fans who have grown up right along with the band’s former frontman.
