Ukulele Songs

'Ukulele Songs' features a number of songs that Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder penned and first played live -- but never released -- nearly a decade ago. Also included on the album is a uke version of Pearl Jam's 2002 track "Can't Keep" and guest vocalists on two tracks: Glen Hansard on the Everly Brothers cover "Sleepless Nights" and Cat Power on "Tonight You Belong To Me." The album's lead single is "Longing to Belong", another Vedder original.

What the critics think....
"Ukulele Songs is an instant community-builder."   - NPR, The Record with Ann Powers  

"Respecting one of the instrumentʼs unwritten rules, [Vedder] plays antique songs like “Dream a Little Dream of Me” and “Tonight You Belong to Me." And he exploits the sentimentality of the instrument for all itʼs worth, singing lines like “For every wish upon a star that goes unanswered in the dark/There is a dream Iʼve dreamt about you.”   - The New York Times, Ben Sisario  

"Vedder deserves the admiration of the ukulele community for bringing out darker nuances many miss. He does so most dramatically in "Can't Keep," which not only makes use of minor chords, it features an attack on the strings that recalls Jimmy Page's combative use of the mandolin in "The Battle of Evermore."   - New York Daily News, Jim Farber  

On the aptly titled Ukulele Songs, [Vedder] dials down PJ's arena-rock bombast to a tender voice-and strings murmur, pairing originals such as the plaintive ''Goodbye'' with moon-eyed standards like ''Dream a Little Dream.''   - Entertainment Weekly, Mikael Wood   "...a musical triumph - a cheeky, audacious move from an unpredictable talent. This mix of originals and covers could be the surprise dinner-party hit of the year." - The Irish Times, Brian Boyd  

"[Vedder's] unadorned plucking rings sweet and simple, supporting little love songs that rely mostly on Vedder's lovely baritone."   - SPIN, Josh Modell  

"While the ukulele is the kind of instrument that can sound both chipper and mournful, Vedder tends toward the latter on the record with a good deal of romantic longing, scarring, and confusion."   - The Boston Globe, Sarah Rodman