Bob Mould: "Workbook"

I have tried and tried and then tried some more to enjoy this album. I love Husker Du (especially Mould's contributions), I like Sugar and I like a couple of his solo records.

But for some reason I just can't seem to appreciate "Workbook". I know it's lauded as possibly Mould's best album, and it does have it's strengths...the guitar playing is consistantly good and so are the arrangements. The lyrics are, for the most part, decent.

I think the problem is that his voice just doesn't sound right to me when it's mixed to the fore on such a relatively soft musical backing (relaitive to Husker Du and even Sugar). He has that sort of tough vibrato free vocal style that works quite well in the harder edged material he's known for. But it just doesn't fly on a subdued album like this one.

I know the decision to tone down far the first post-Husker solo album was made as an effort to conscioulsy get away from that band's sonic trappings. Seems like it would be a pretty good idea, in theory.

And yet it doesn't work for me. I'm sure I'm the exception to that rule, and I should give it a few more spins and see if it grows on me.