With their cult following growing,
Morphine
expanded their audience even further with their exceptional 1994 sophomore effort,
Cure for Pain
. Whereas their debut,
Good
, was intriguing yet not entirely consistent,
more than delivered. The songwriting was stronger and more succinct this time around, while new drummer
Billy Conway
made his recording debut with the trio (replacing
Jerome Deupree
). Like the debut, most of the material shifts between depressed and upbeat, with a few cacophonic rockers thrown in between. Such selections as
"Buena,"
"I'm Free Now,"
"All Wrong,"
"Candy,"
"Thursday,"
"In Spite of Me"
(one of the few tracks to contain six-string guitar),
"Let's Take a Trip Together,"
"Sheila,"
and the title track are all certifiable
classics. And again,
Mark Sandman
's two-string slide bass and
Dana Colley
's sax work help create impressive atmospherics throughout the album.
was unquestionably one of the best and most cutting-edge rock releases of the '90s. ~ Greg Prato