After struggling to sustain the mainstream stardom they achieved in the early 1990s, and recuperating from the loss of original member and bass player Karl Mueller to cancer, Soul Asylum returned in 2006 with the appropriately named THE SILVER LINING. Longtime fans hoping for a sound more in line with the group's scrappy early work may be disappointed: This is still post-GRAVE DANCER'S UNION Soul Asylum, complete with well-polished production and bittersweet, radio-ready ballads. But Dave Pirner's songwriting is still sharp and heavy with memorable melodies (as on the album's lead-off single "Stand Up and Be Strong"), and the band can still pack a rock punch, proving there is some gas left in the tank.