Drops: Jane's Addiction's 'Escape Artist'

By GLENN GAMBOAglenn.gamboa@newsday.comOctober 14, 2011

When Jane's Addiction stormed onto the alt-rock scene in 1988 with its wild debut "Nothing's Shocking," it was unpredictable and unique on every front.

Singer Perry Farrell offered unexpected vocals and lyrics over Dave Navarro's ever-changing guitar work and Stephen Perkins' wide range of drum rhythms. They easily shifted from the adrenaline rush of "Mountain Song" to the laid-back "Jane Says."

Much of that freshness is missing on "The Great Escape Artist" (Capitol), only the fourth album in the band's stormy, breakup-filled history. What's left is kind of a clotted mush of previous successes mixed with radio-friendly evenness that just seems to lack a creative spark.

The first single, "Irresistible Force," shows the biggest problem. Though Navarro sounds good with his attacking guitar work, and Perkins offers a mellow vibe, Ferrell is spouting clunky lines -- the chorus is "The irresistible force meets the immovable object" -- and sounding bored.

"I'll Hit You Back" comes closest to generating some energy, with some potent drumming and urgent guitars, but it settles back into middling, even as Farrell declares that he will retaliate if provoked.

What makes "The Great Escape Artist" so maddening is how it seems to sand off all its edges on purpose. There are points when it seems set to take flight -- in the middle of the U2-ish "Twisted Tales," for example -- only to get stuck in a murky middle ground again. They sound like they actually need some help escaping.