Joe Walsh was and is a genius – that much is clear. That being said, he’s a tired old genius. His previous work has fueled the fires of many a guitarist’s soul, and inspired generations of musicians. Now, though, he’s lost his direction in an unexpected way – he hasn’t changed it.
The title track, "Analog Man", is a resounding disappointment. Though one has to muse that back in the day, it would have been a hit Eagles song. It voices Walsh’s frustration with modern technology in a way that is almost reminiscent of punk songwriting. Granted the slide work on the track is excellent in an understated kind of way. Unfortunately, it isn’t enough to redeem the song.
Walsh’s voice is also extremely annoying. Marked though he is as one of the worlds’ best rock guitarists, any and all noise that is recorded coming from him should originate from his hands, not his mouth. It is amusing to theorize that Dr. Rockso, the rock and roll clown (a character from the animated heavy metal parody show) was based largely off of Joe Walsh. The similarity is staggering.
"Funk 50", Walsh’s apparent answer to one of his more popular early songs, "Funk 49," is both entirely too short and lacking in potent lyrical content. The hook is decent, and it’s clearly a sequel song, in the way that Metallica’s "Unforgiven II" is an answer to "Unforgiven". That being said, it’s a relatively sad oration.
The low point of the album was Walsh’s attempt at a self-relevant major key rock ballad. "Family" is not the sort of thing the rock and roll clown’s audience wants to hear from him, and it brings tears to the eyes in a bad way.
That Walsh’s guitar work, as well as the sound he’s built for himself is second to none absolutely cannot be ignored. Unfortunately, his solo work is apparently not strong enough to stand on its own. The upstanding gentleman ought to attach himself to a new rock outfit, and go from there. Better yet, let’s have another Eagles album.
MP3 Stream: "Analog Man’"
