Yield

Entertainment Weekly - "...an intermittently affecting album that veers between fiery garage rock and rootsy, acoustic-based ruminations. Perhaps mindful of their position as the last alt-rock ambassadors with any degree of clout, they've come up with their most cohesive album since their 1991 debut, TEN..." - Rating: B Spin - 8 (out of 10) - "...Part touchstone, part pariah, Pearl Jam have tried arty gestures; they've ostentatiously declined to rock; and now they've come back with an album full of gracefully ambivalent anthems. All commodities should be this unstable, and have this much blood pumping through them." Rolling Stone - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...even the rockers have an uncommonly easy touch that's new to Pearl Jam....Vedder is singing more frankly about his life as an adult....shows that Pearl Jam have made the most out of growing up in public..." NME - 7 (out of 10) - "...Here's where Pearl Jam put on their diverse boots and stomp across their bluesy roots, careering through various styles and pop-mongous strops..."

Perhaps shaken up by the chilly reception to the adventurous No Code, Pearl Jam returned to straight-ahead hard rock on their fifth album, Yield. There remain a few weird flourishes scattered throughout the album, from the spoken word "Push Me, Pull Me" to the untitled Eastern instrumental bonus track, but overall, Yield is the most direct record the group has made since Ten. Pearl Jam sometimes have trouble coming up with truly undeniable hard rock hooks, and Eddie Vedder remains at his most compelling on folk-tinged, meditative numbers like "Low Light," "In Hiding," and "All Those Yesterdays." Yield is more consistent than Vitalogy and No Code, but it doesn't have songs that reach the highs of "Better Man," "Corduroy," or "Who You Are." "Do the Evolution" and "Brain of J" have garage potential, but there's more bite and distortion on Vedder's voice than there is on the guitars. Pearl Jam's conviction still rings true. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine|