CHANGE OF FORTUNE

In 2016, Dave Pirner is the last man standing in Soul Asylum. The band's co-founder, guitarist Dan Murphy, retired in late 2012, making Pirner the band's only original member and uncontested leader on their 11th studio album, Change of Fortune. For this album, Pirner and his new bandmates -- guitarist Justin Sharbono, bassist Winston Roye, and drummer Michael Bland -- have delivered an energetic set of songs that shows off the group's pop and R&B accents as well as their more traditional mix of hard rock guitars and punk attitude. New guitarist Justin Sharbono and bassist Winston Roye play these songs well, and drummer Michael Bland knows what to do with the band's new rhythmic diversity. Producer John Fields has given Change of Fortune a polished sound and an inviting surface, and many listeners will be intrigued by Soul Asylum's blend of fresh but time-tested sounds on this album. ~ Mark Deming

• Genre: Pop
• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 03/18/2016