Auf Der Maur — Auf Der Maur

When word got out that Melissa Auf Der Maur enlisted folks like Josh Homme, Eric Erlandson and James Iha to work on a solo album that would cross Kyuss and The Smiths, crowning her the new alt.rock queen seemed a mere formality. Unfortunately, this promising collection has failed in a heartbreaking number of ways. As a vocalist, MADM’s delivery is uncomfortably thin. Where you’re yearning for menace and passion, you get something hovering around Scratching Post territory.

And the best tracks — the radio-friendly "Would If I Could" and piano-based "Overpower Thee" — are actually the least rocking on the album doesn’t help either. Neither does the fact that the two most interesting rockers — "Skin Receiver" and " I Need I Want I Will" — are buried at the end of the album.

The problem here is that even though Ms. Auf Der Maur clearly wants to rock, having all her superstar buddies at her fingertips has resulted in a recorded product altogether too pleasant to affect you in any meaningful way.

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