The best thing about this band is that they do it their way, to quote Frank Sinatra.
Perhaps Pearl Jam's strong fan base is due in part to the band's
usual refusal to make videos and heavily promote their music. Fans
of the band feel Eddie Vedder and co. care about them and make
music for them. When they could have made another
Ten, they released
Vs., and when they could have followed up that
million-seller, they released
Vitalogy.
The trouble is, much of the Jam's music after 1994 started to sound alike. Granted, this is not a bad thing, since the lyrics mean something, the music is well-played and the production is usually warm and mellow. And while Riot Act has its share of good moments, it sounds more like it chronologically belongs next to No Code.
If you like the band's hard rock, then "Save You" is the highlight, with powerful vocals by Eddie and a drum/bass fest at the end. "You Are" is an acid-drenched rocker, one of the band's best, while "Get Right" has a slight punk feel to it, more late-Green Day than Ramones (a big band influence). "Green Disease" and "Help Help" recall the band's mid-'90s work, back when they were embroiled in a controversy with Ticketmaster.
The slower songs are stronger than in the past, especially on "Love Boat Captain" and "Thumbing My Way," a particularly moving hitchhiker ballad that Springsteen would be proud of. "Can't Keep" and "I Am Mine" are decent as well.
Naturally, Eddie gets political on "Bushleaguer," a swipe at the president with references to Bush's oil ties, wealthy family and his administration, which has not been the most honest about some issues. This is the same Eddie who took a rubber mask of Bush and impaled it on a mic stand at a concert, but the track is surprisingly restrained as it spews venom, much like "Soon Forget" off Binaural.
Although Matt Cameron is now a full-time member and contributes solid drum skills and songwriting, the disc as a whole isn't quite exciting enough to carry the listener to the end. Individual moments work fine, but much like No Code, the good moments don't outweigh the mundane ones.
Had the band written more songs like "Save You" and "You Are," instead of taken a tranquilizer dart, this could have been the continuation of their post-grunge greatness. Instead, the fans will have to be content with a mostly unremarkable offering by a great band.
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