Sixteen Stone

Until I went to one of their concerts not long ago, I had never really appreciated how good some of the songs on this album were. Bush had always seemed to me like a wannabe Nirvana trying to squeeze its way into the tail-end of the grunge era, and I attended the concert only due to its shockingly affordable price (as well as the fact that Candlebox was playing there too). Not only did they put on a wonderful show, but they left me with a new desire to listen to the hits from their major album, Sixteen Stone. Of course, ‘Glycerine’ is a classic, with its catchy melody and rhythm, but some of the other songs are just as good. Gavin Rossdale is a fine singer, but the real draw to Bush songs is the guitar and bass work. Glycerine’s vocals actually start much earlier than other songs in this album, with ‘Comedown’ taking over a minute of just instrumentals before Rossdale begins singing. Overall, the hits in Sixteen Stone are ‘Everything Zen’, ‘Little Things’, ‘Comedown’, ‘Machinehead’, and of course, ‘Glycerine’, out of 12 tracks total. The album is good, obviously if you like Bush, but also as a reminiscent of a highly esteemed album at the time, followed by the disappointment that was Razorblade Suitcase. On the other hand, if you aren’t into hard grunge, this album likely isn’t for you. Overall, I’d suggest at least giving the hits from this album a listen, as the rest of the songs are comparatively lackluster.