Black Gold: The Best of Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum were, in many ways, two distinct bands. Prior to signing with Columbia, Soul Asylum scored minor hits with "Cartoon" and "Sometime to Return." Their hard-won reputation, however, was not as a singles band. Instead, the group built its fan base via incessant touring and a string of hard-charging, heart-on-sleeve albums, including the wonderfulMade to be BrokenandWhile You Were Out. Soul Asylum's later years brought the hits ("Runaway Train," "Misery"), the MTV exposure, and the change in the band's style from gritty rock to hook-driven pop. Fans of the band's latter, more commercial period should find this disc interesting, since the set is dominated by this material. There are some treats for rarity hunters, however. A live recording of "Closer to the Stars," an acoustic reading of "Stranger," and a previously unreleased track called "Lonely for You" beef up this collection. WhileBlack Goldcertainly could have been more complete, for fans of latter-period Soul Asylum, this is a good starting point, albeit one missing most of the group's most important and interesting early work.--S. Duda