If any rocker has earned the right to call his solo debut album
Lessons Learned, it's
Robert De Leo. Over the course of his career,
De Leo has seen highs and lows, sometimes having them intertwine at the exact same moment, as when
Stone Temple Pilots were riding high during the heyday of alternative rock in the 1990s. During one of
STP's hiatuses,
De Leo stepped away from the group to form
Talk Show, a busman's holiday that found him mining a similar vein to his main gig. He repeated this pattern through the years, which is what makes the warm, burnished feel of
Lessons Learned come as a bit of a surprise:
De Leo is venturing into new territory here. Using the sun-bleached country-rock of the early 1970s as a foundation,
De Leo anchors his solo album with acoustic instruments, broadening his horizons enough to encompass a sweet, swirling psychedelia vaguely reminiscent of
Led Zeppelin in their folk mode.
De Leo invites a host of singers --
Jimmy Gnecco of
Ours, Kara Britz,
Tim Bluhm of
Mother Hips,
Pete Shoulder, and
Gary Wright among them -- to better articulate the mood of a particular song.
De Leo himself sings the murmuring closer "Is This Goodbye." Despite this large cast of characters,
Lessons Learned feels unified thanks to
De Leo keeping a focus on emotion, conveying feeling through songcraft and quietly textured production, sounds that emphasize a soft, enveloping warmth as much as melody. It's an understated album but it's not slight: it's a rich, reflective record, one that serves as comfort during moments of contemplation. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine