Open Season
Though major stardom remained elusive for the Replacements, the band still has those who love them in the way others love the Beatles or the Stones. Paul Westerberg, Bob and Tommy Stinson, Chris Mars, and Slip Dunlap were distinct individuals--characters--larger than life, and a bit cartoonish. It's fitting, then, that Westerberg now finds himself behind the soundtrack of a major animated feature.Open Seasonfeatures nine new songs, two of which team him up with Tommy Stinson (another one, "I Belong," appears a second time, performed by Pete Yorn). Lyrically, Westerberg manages to serve the needs of a family movie yet still sound like himself (granted, meadows and bears are new to his lexicon). Standouts include the upbeat-with-an-underbelly-of-melancholy "Any Better than This" and the stomping singalong "Right to Arm Bears."--David Greenberger