I'm sad to say that Eyes Adrift is not greater than the sum of its parts. When I heard there was a new project comprised of the members of Nirvana (bassist Krist Novoselic), Meat Puppets (guitarist/vocalist Curt Kirkwood), and Sublime (drummer Bud Gaugh), I was expecting greatness. But all I got was a CD full of mediocre country-ish rock.

The record starts out with a promising song, Sleight of Hand. Groovy guitars, a rolling beat, and laid back vocals carry you along a decent melody. This song will get stuck in your head pretty easily. The trumpets on this track bring an interesting dynamic to it as well. Track 2, Alaska, is one of the better ones on the CD. There's some nice guitar work on this one as well, and another catchy melody. Track 3 is literally about JonBenet Ramsey, as far as I can tell, and Novoselic is featured on vocals for this one. I enjoy his voice.

The rest of the album is rock with hints to country, folk, and riddled with plenty of acoustic guitars and unmemorable drumming. However, Track 9 is an exception. Besides being a bit weird lyrically, there's an engaging beat, good guitars, and a singable melody. You'll be tapping your foot to that one.

My verdict on Eyes Adrift: this CD is good for a long trip at night in the car as background music for a conversation with a friend, or played softly while you're reading and eating soup. Other than that, I won't be rocking out to it too often. Valiant effort, but it's just not for me.