Ukulele Songs

Eddie Vedder | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 31, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Monkeywrench Records
• ASIN: B004V6MWFU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (113 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,456 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2011 album from the Pearl Jam frontman. Ukulele Songs is a collection of original songs and covers performed by Vedder on ukulele. Featuring a number of songs that Vedder penned and first played live but never released nearly a decade ago, Ukulele Songs also includes a uke version of Pearl Jam's 2002 track "Can't Keep" and guest vocalists on two tracks: Glen Hansard on "Sleepless Nights" and Cat Power on "Tonight You Belong To Me."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful! May 31, 2011

By Mark W. Swarthout

Format:MP3 Music

I'm not a Pearl Jam fan. That may have to change after listening the this album. I am an ukulele fan and player. When I saw this getting a mention on Morning Express this morning, I took a look a the description and immediately downloaded it. And I'm very impressed. Eddie Vedder has a great voice and it matched with the ukulele very well. It is not easy to get seriousness and a touch of sadness with the bright sounds of the instrument, but he managed to bring it together in a nice folk tune way. This music would fit with any folk song collection and is certainly helping promote the ukulele in a big way!

46 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Songs! May 31, 2011

By Polar Bear

Format:Audio CD

If you go into Eddie Vedder's latest album "Ukulele Songs" expecting stripped back Pearl Jam, you're going to be disappointed. However, if you go into it expecting somewhat of a mismatch of a record, with elements of "Into The Wild's" escapism, a Pearl Jam cover, plenty of love songs, guest vocalists, and everything else in between, then you'll love it and appreciate everything about it. Things get started with "Can't Keep," a Pearl Jam classic from the Riot Act album played on a ukulele by Vedder. The song doesn't sound too different then the original but the added texture of the ukulele brings it to a new level. The next few tracks leave you with a distinct feeling of loneliness; "Sleeping By Myself," "Without You," Goodbye," and "Broken Heart" are just as subdued and sad as their titles sound. This is a tribute to Vedder's talent as a singer and songwriter: you actually FEEL his pain in the music and the lyrics. Things pick up with "Satellite", which serves as the lead in to "Longing To Belong", one of the best songs on the album. The added sound of a cello gives that little bit of extra depth and it helps create the kind of song you want to listen to on a lazy rainy day. "Sleepless Nights" introduces the vocals of the always-amazing Glen Hansard. The duet is simply beautiful, with the pair harmonizing all the song's vocals to magnificent effect. Vedder also covers the Mamas and the Papas' "Dream a Little Dream" and the uke classic "Tonight You Belong To Me." Overall, Ukulele Songs is a completely charming, enjoyable, fiercely intimate, and at times breathtakingly beautiful album. I would highly recommend it to anyone!

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Painfully beautiful. June 2, 2011

By Paul Martinez

Format:Audio CD

Simply put, this is an amazing and beautiful collection of songs that feels like a journey through the heart and soul of Eddie Vedder. It's not Pearl jam, and that's a good thing: there's something vastly different about writing, composing, and performing songs with a band as opposed to a solo effort. It's not the "Into the Wild" soundtrack, either; although that collection of songs was beautiful in its own right, for the most part the songs that Eddie wrote for it were meant to be told from the perspective of Christopher McCandless. Instead, this is a truly unique effort that gives the reader a starkly personal view of Eddie on a level heretofore unseen in his vast collection of work.

The covers here are lovely, particularly the lighthearted "Tonight You Belong to Me" and the wistful "Sleepless Nights." On both, Eddie's voice works perfectly with the guest vocalists, avoiding the feeling of forced-collaboration that often afflicts these type of duets. "Dream a Little Dream" is a nice way to finish the album, a minute-and-a-half rendition of the timeless classic that features Eddie channeling his inner Tom Waits.

But the real treasures here are Eddie's original songs. These are songs of love and loss, and for anyone who has ever gone through either, they are simply heartbreaking. On "Once in a While," he laments: "Once in a while will you try to give one little thought to me? / Though someone else may be nearer to your heart, / Will you dream of the moments I shared with you / Before we drifted apart?". Anyone who has ever lost love too soon can certainly identify. On "Without You," the sentiments are just as painful: "I'll keep on healing all the scars that we've collected from the start. / I'd rather this than live without you."

This album certainly isn't for everyone, but for those who have a longing for intimate, stripped down, breathtaking music, it doesn't get much better than this.