Joey Ramone's 2002 solo album of that name, which I finally caught up to a few days ago, is way better than I expected it to be. I suppose I didn't expect as much based on the things I've read about it, on the internet and elsewhere, which for the most part were by no means negative but rather sort of lukewarm.
The cover of "What A Wonderful World," the only widely familiar thing from the album (I think it was in a movie or two), is really a beautiful piece of work. So is the second song, "Stop Thinking About It," which is a nearly perfect song in the way that so many of the best Ramones songs are. "Maria Bartiromo" and the title track also stand out, and "Searching for Something" is something remarkable--catchy, beautifully constructed, musically mature and narratively complex--it seems like the kind of thing the Ramones might have done if Johnny let them grow up.
There's nothing really bad on the album, but it will take some more listens for me to decide how high to rank a few of the songs. The cover of "1969", while well-executed, doesn't do much for me, and "Venting" and "I Got Knocked Down" don't seem like particularly strong songwriting efforts after three listens.
Anyway, the new Joey album comes out this month, we'll see if they're just scraping the bottom of the barrel or if his left over recordings have more to offer (at the very least it will include "Waiting for that Railroad," so it has to be obtained). This one I am inclined to give 3.5 stars out of five.
***1/2
UPDATE: after living with this for a little while, I have downgraded it to three stars (still a good rating in my system).
***
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