Jane's Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual (1990)

The cover of Ritual De Lo Habitual contains a paper mache threesome involved in quasi cross gender pollination. Harmless stuff but its ambiguity does warrant some attention. Jane's Addiction have an offbeat take on modern rock. Most of the tunes on this their most rounded album contains an uneven pattern that varies between quiet introspective and scattergun hectic moments. Perry Farrell's voice is unique but strangely enigmatic so it is easy to recognise his bands material. Part female, part adolescent his incessant outpourings are quite dramatic. On the classy far eastern mantra 'Of Course', his voice sounds totally at home amongst the acoustic violin and maracas infested vibes.

At times Jane's Addiction do wander into creative cul-de-sac's or so you think. 'Obvious' initially seems all bluster giving off the impression of a tune with surface value only. By giving it a chance though you'll see that there is a pretty good melody superbly camouflaged in the mix. 'Then She Did...' is a powerful indictment of Jane's Addiction song writing ability. It is genuinely innovative and its eight minutes duration hardly leaves you time to draw your breath. It took years for 'Been Caught Stealing' to win me over. I couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Having it play alongside Cannonball and Waterfall seemed inappropriate. But it finally clicked with me at an out of sorts night last year. As Perry Farrell crones with aplomb, those dog barks signal a bubbling entourage of offbeat guitars. From there its kooky confidence will work it's magic with your state of mind.

The album has a few weak tracks. The opener 'Stop' lacks bite, the guitar dynamics are too frenzied to be alluring and there is a distinct lack of melody. Although 'Ain't No Right' has some neat metal aspirations it blunders on too many occasions to be effective. Right in the middle 'Three Days' lives up to its name by sprawling over 10 minutes. With a bit of careful editing this could have been a much more enticing proposition. As it is 'Three Days', verges on epic bombast and that slash type solo has me blocking my ears every time. It's the good tracks that make 'Ritual De Lo Habitual' so periodically vital. 'Classic Girl' is certainly out of sync with its neighbours. Farrell for once subdues the dramatics, taking a laid-back stance and the guitars shimmer gloriously in the background. At various stages 'Classic Girl' shifts a gear to mould a two-part opus. The drumbeat/bass equation is unique and elevates the whole affair. 'Ritual De Lo Habitual' is probably more suited to the huge rock scene in the US. It certainly has plenty of memorable moments but remains a little short of being a great album. A little more 'Classic Girl' and a little less 'Three Days' and things could have been much better.

Rating: 7/10

25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player