When Gavin Rossdale was enjoying commercial success with his first band, Bush, critics accused the guitarist/singer of copping the moves of Kurt Cobain and other grunge trailblazers. Rossdale's first solo outing isn't likely to win the hearts of those critics, but the artist has traded in his hand-me-down plaids for more grown-up attire, and the change suits him.
Perhaps it's age, and perhaps it's the demands of family life (Rossdale is famously married to pop diva Gwen Stefani), but WANDERLUST has more of a decidedly adult-alternative bent than Rossdale's earlier work. "Love Remains the Same," for example, the album's lead-off single, is a cinematic power ballad with an expansive, sweeping chorus, and represents the melodic, guitar-fueled pop-rock on offer. Fans of Bush's harder-edged material may pine for the old days, but Rossdale proves capable of mellowing nicely with age.