Sixteen Stone [2 LP]

Bush: Gavin Rossdale (guitar, vocals); Nigel Pulsford (guitar); Dave Parsons (bass); Robin Goodridge (drums). Additional personnel: Jasmine Lewis, Alessandro Vittorio Tateo, Winston (vocals); Gavin Wright (violin, viola); Carolina Dale (cello); Vincas Bundza (harmonica). Producers: Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley, Bush (all tracks). Recorded at Westside Studios, London, England. All songs written by Gavin Rossdale. Under the guidance of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley -- the kings of early-'80s British pop -- Bush turn in an album that follows all the rules and sounds of American hard rock, specifically Nirvana and Pearl Jam. The group's two major hits, "Everything Zen" and "Little Things," are slick, assured professional replications of Nirvana's trademarks, but Bush also have a flair for big hooks and in Gavin Rossdale, a frontman who has movie star charisma, all elements that turn Sixteen Stone into successful pop-grunge. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine