Don't Tell a Soul, the Replacements, 1989, :38
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
1989! This was the year Madonna, 2 Live Crew, Sinead O'Connor, and Judas Priest all got into well-publicized legal troubles over artistic expression. Distracting people from wealth inequality is fun. Meanwhile, the 'Mats released this album, to very little legal trouble. It features the typical witty wordplay and sense of fun, but it's comparatively musically restrained. I don't know how much of a cohesive unit the Replacements were at this point, but to me this album evokes Westerberg's solo album 14 Songs. I read that Westerberg wasn't very happy with the "radio-ready" mix. It's true it isn't as ragged as some of the more Replacements well-known stuff, but it's hardly glossy. In the end it's a decent album, but all I keep thinking is, this isn't as good as Tim. Favorite tracks: "Asking Me Lies," "I'll Be You."
