Verbena's 1999 album
Into the Pink completes the group's transition from a Memphis soul/indie pop hybrid into a straight-ahead rock outfit. Indeed, with
Scott Bondy's sardonic drawl and buzzsaw guitars, and
Les Nuby's insistent drums at the forefront,
Verbena resembles a souped-up, glossed-over version of the 1990s' most revered rock band,
Nirvana. Adding to the sense of deja vu is
Dave Grohl's production work, which dips into the polish
Butch Vig applied to
Nevermind. Though bassist/vocalist
Anne Marie Griffin's vocals sweeten "Prick the Sun" and "Baby Got Shot," and ballads like "Lovely Isn't Love" and "Big Skies, Black Rainbows" add some sonic diversity to the album, most of
Into the Pink sounds like forgotten mid-'90s grunge. Despite their lofty aspirations and patronage,
Verbena just aren't as interesting as that other power trio whose name ends with "-na." ~ Heather Phares