While it may not be as stellar as their future releases would be,
Morphine
's debut album, 1992's
Good
, did a splendid job of introducing the Boston trio's highly original sound. While it was the alternative crowd who immediately latched onto
, their music was geared more toward the jazz scene -- a wailing saxophone, lead bass (played with a slide), and lyrics influenced by '50s beat poetry were all-important ingredients. The opening title track remains one of the band's darkest, while other selections are a bit more upbeat --
"Have a Lucky Day"
and the inappropriately titled
"The Saddest Song"
; all the while, the band excels at creating different moods with each successive track. Other highlights include the mid-paced
"Claire"
and
"The Only One,"
the slight salsa feel of
"You Speak My Language,"
the frantic
"Test-Tube Baby/Shoot'm Down,"
and the more calm and sultry
"You Look Like Rain."
On their next release,
Cure for Pain
,
would improve further on the strength of their songwriting and cutting-edge sound, but
still contains more than a few standouts. ~ Greg Prato