Review Summary: This debut was a band totally in their best form
Pearl Jam's debut came with this album, Ten. This debut was a band totally in their best form, with a grunge that was growing all over the world and as a pioneer in the United States and the Seattle movement was fundamental for this rhythm.
1 - Once -
The first song, Once - Era uma vez - already draws attention by name, browsing the lyrics draws even more attention, as the band created a hit that starts attacking with ferocity in music and lyrics, the way the song begins is certainly not the same as it unfolds and ends, guitars well synchronized and with a lot of distortion. And the chorus is the pull of 'Once upon a time' which ends up being an important part of the song as it draws the listeners' attention. An excellent song to start an album and nothing less than that, its little more than 3 minutes is typical of sounds that began to dominate with a fast grunge and with a good sound.
Rating 4/5
2 – Even Flow
If starting with Once was Pearl Jam's right move in Ten, following with Even Flow - Fluxo Continua - toasted and made everyone who was getting to know the band at that moment create a certain expectation with what else could come ahead, 4 :53 of a sound with lyrics that seem to speak of a homeless person who spends his days sleeping on the sidewalks, seeing the day through the eyes of someone who stays and lives on the streets. The lyrics are very strong and it is one of the strengths of Even Flow, but without a doubt it is not the only one, here we see a melody very connected with the sound and the guitars. Once again the band brings a good chorus, which makes the song also reach the radio and becomes popular, Even Flow is one of the first masterpieces of the band.
Rating 5/5
3 – Alive
Alive - Vivo - Perhaps one of the most emblematic songs of the band, sound, melody, solos, base all of this placed in a song with lyrics that are almost Eddie Vedder telling his story, at least part of the song yes, and not if in the world of music that's how the great classics become classics, because there's a lot of the musicians in what they play and write, Alive is good because it's part of it, among the greatest songs on the album with its almost 6 minutes, Vedder's lyrics are emblematic when the first chords bring:
Son, she said, I've got a little story for you / Who you thought your father was, was nothing but one / While you were home alone at thirteen / Your real father was dying / I'm sorry that you Didn't see him but I'm glad we talked
There's no way, Alive consolidates that Ten is an excellent album and has just brought a new band.
Rating 5/5
4 – Why Go
Why Go - Porque Ir - brings another angry song with heavy and fast chords, with yet another torn vocal by Vedder that fits perfectly in all the songs so far, and in Why Go once again with the highlight for the lyrics, which it seems to tap into the depression of a girl who is dumped in a place for two years and with her mother's consent - the fast solo is also highlighted, as is the chorus that makes the song sing easily.
Rating 3.5/5
5 – Black
Black - Preto - This is one of the band's most emblematic and popular songs, for fans and non-fans alike, perhaps the best known of all, be it a beautiful ballad, be it a slower song or be it the lyrics and translation it is a of the most sought after, in the end everyone wants to know what Vedder means in such a melodically beautiful song, what words he brings here. That's why the song became one of the band's most popular to this day. Black, and its 5:43 minutes of a nice ballad to listen to, with the keyboards very sharp together with the guitars that don't weigh the ballad down at all and consolidates the album as one of the best of that year.
All five horizons / Revolving around her soul / Like the Earth around the sun / Now the air I tasted and breathed / Has become different / Oh, and what I taught her was everything / Oh, I know she taught me gave all she owned
And now my embittered hands/ Are skinned beneath the clouds/ Of what was all/ Oh, the images gone/ All bathed in black/ Tattooing everything
Rating 5/5
6 – Jeremy
The cool thing about Pearl Jam - which was appearing to the world - is that the band was showing that in this new world of Grunge, mixing hard rock with an angry vocal from Vedder, the band was very concerned with the melody of the songs, Jeremy - Jeremy - is an example of this, as well as some previous songs the band makes an introduction, and is not concerned with just bringing a beat to the song, the mix with keyboards, and percussions are something that stands out in this and other songs. Jeremy a beautiful song with a heavy lyrics once again, here brings the story of Jeremy a boy who unfortunately committed suicide in school days. A thoughtful strong handwriting. As for the melody, it is well elaborated and with a softer vocal from Vedder with a good part of Back Vocal.
Rating 4.5/5
7 – Oceans
Oceans - Oceano - It's another song with good lyrics. Here we see an important highlight for the time of the song, which is just over 2 minutes, the shortest song on the album with a good part of the melody well arranged with the tone of the song and a well-aligned vocal from Vedder.
Rating 3.5/5
8 – Porch
Porch - Varanda - The band returns with the heavy footprint of the guitars and drums in a well synchronized sound, with emphasis on the guitar solos that appear very explicit in the song, bringing a bit of the 80's to Pearl Jam's grunge, but without losing the essence of what they have been bringing. In yet another good lyric and this time Porch enters with a good hit by Ten standards.
Rating 3/5
9 – Garden
Garden - Jardim - is one of the best songs on the album, with a sticky chorus, among the best choruses on the album, Garden with its almost 5 minutes brings a song with more good lyrics, melody and a beautiful sound that is mainly due to the repetition but not Garden's boring chorus. But a good song in Ten.
Rating 3.5/5
10- Deep
Deep - Profundo - as the translation of Deep says, the lyrics are indeed deep and prove that all songs by Ten so far are poetic, with a meticulous care for the lyrics the vocalist shows not only a vocal in tune with the rhythm, but also preoccupation with the lyrics. In Deep the band goes back to the heavy Grunge style of the moment.
Rating 3.5/5
11- Release
Release - Release me - is the outlier for Ten, not because it's a bad song, that's not you can be sure. It's a song of more than 9 minutes, for a grunge band that's not standard. Fast, heavy songs, with strong eltras yes, and in Release the band brings a big, melodic song, with a singing chorus and rhythmic guitars. Release showed me that Pearl Jam, may even have earned the label of Grunge, but the band managed with its lyrics, melodies and sound to show that the band is not just noise and in this 9 minute song - after 5 it is taken instrumental - the sound with a beautiful chorus and an excellent melody makes the band close the CD with a golden key to enter the hall of a classic album.
Rating 4.5/5
Overall Rating 5/5
