Rock in the Weary Land
Seven years and twoMike Scottsolo albums since the Waterboys' previous album, Scott's decision to resuscitate the name of the band that made him famous feels like the decision of a man who is determined to stop running from something at which he excels. The second of his solo albums, 1998'sStill Burning, was infused with the epic scope that had characterized the Waterboys at their best;A Rock in the Weary Landfeels like a logical progression. There is little trace of the Irish-folk influence that occupied Scott for much of the early 1990s; his is what Scott calls "the big music"--surging rock ballads infused withZeppelinesque drums, backing choirs, strings, and what sounds like dozens of guitars. At its peaks, as on the title track and "We Are Jonah," it is vintage Waterboys, which is to say it's altogether exhilarating.--Andrew Mueller