From Amazon.co.uk
Dave Navarro is best known as the guitarist for Jane's Addiction and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but on
Trust No One, he comes into his own. The talented axeman plays nearly every instrument but the drums on this record, showing off his polished set of pipes as well.
Trust No One is a sharp diversion from both
Jane's Addiction's trippy punk aggression and the
Chili Peppers' chest-thumping funk. Interestingly, the album comes closer to
Soundgarden than either of Navarro's former bands: it's a post-grunge mix of acoustic singles that build into charging rock riffs, in a slightly softer version of the former Seattle band's mighty noise. The music is just a vehicle for Navarro's tortured soul, though, which is given the spotlight in lyrics uncovering his feelings of emptiness. Even as his sanity seems to spiral downward, Navarro's skilled playing still makes these songs soar--no self-pitying here. The only weak spots on the album are the song "Not for Nothing" (didn't
Nine Inch Nails already write this one as "Starf**kers, Inc."?) and the occasional odd Navarro rhyme ("There is no love left in your eyes / There is love left in your thighs"). Both can be forgiven, though, in an album that is an otherwise stellar one-man production of mainstream modern rock.
--Jennifer Maerz
