It didn’t come as that much of a surprise to hear that Eddie Vedder was to release an album titled Ukulele Songs. For those digging around for an answer maybe the question should be re-phrased as “why not?” If you look back at some of his other work, especially some of the great soundtracks he has appeared on it feels like a natural progression:
Aside from being familiar with him as the Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder caught my attention no more so than when I heard him perform on the soundtrack to Dead Man Walking (1996). It was thanks to the foresight of director Tim Robbins that he invited along some of biggest names ‘out there’ to put together one of the best soundtracks I’d heard in a long time. Along with Vedder there was Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Lyle Lovett, Patti Smith, Suzanne Vega, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Steve Earle. What stood out was the unlikely pairing of Vedder and Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn, the Qawwali singer. The Long Road was and still is as moving now as it was the first time I heard it:
More recently he recorded a stunning soundtrack for Into the Wild (2007), a film I can’t recommend enough. HIs songs and high lonesome sound was a perfect backdrop to the forlorn hope of a young man seeking release in the wilderness:
Long Nights
So now we have Ukulele Songs, no soundtrack, but it still encompasses some of those elements. Despite the choice of instrument it is Eddie Vedder’s songs and sonorous voice that dominate your attention as well as some great duets with Glen Hansard and Cat Power. The more obvious connection between those two soundtracks I mentioned and this album is the heartfelt passion that goes into them. This is a beautifully warm and deep album that you will, at times, find yourself holding your breath to. Longing to Belong was the first introduction I heard and a perfect one at that with great cello accompaniement, that uke makes it feel like it was recorded a long time ago…
Longing to Belong
Order from Amazon: Ukulele Songs