CD Review: Village Gorilla Head

See Tommy Stinson at the Hotel Café on December 13. While many Replacements fans are still having trouble wrapping their minds around the idea that ‘Mats bassist Tommy Stinson has been playing in Guns N' Roses for the past few years, there has been at least one saving grace in this bizarre marriage of opposites. Axl Rose's apparent creative paralysis over the same period has given Stinson plenty of time to work on his just-released solo CD, Village Gorilla Head , an album that will probably be judged more satisfying than GN'R's mythical Chinese Democracy (for one thing, it actually exists!). Blending the occasional rocker like the stomping “Couldn't Wait” with acousticky, world-weary ballads “Without a View” and “Light of Day,” Stinson sometimes comes across like another famous Minnesotan balladeer — not Paul Westerberg so much as Bob Dylan. Unlike Dylan (or Westerberg ), Stinson relies too often on lyrical clichés (“Bite Your Tongue,” “Moment Too Soon”), but he snarls his way quite appealingly through the stronger songs, including the title track with its hazy slow groove and spacy pools of guitar. (Falling James)

Excerpt from LA Weekly
December 12, 2004