Blankets (Big Loud, 2025)

Stephen Wilson, Jr. has made a name for himself as an Americana songwriter, but his live performances have always owed a debt to his love for 1990s grunge rock. For this EP, Wilson dips into the classic grunge songbook for covers of some of his favorites.

The centerpiece is his riveting, heartfelt version of "Hunger Strike," a song first recorded by the Temple of the Dog project, written and sung by Chris Cornell alongside Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam on vocals. It's a tribute itself to the death of Andrew Wood from the Seattle band Mother Love Bone, and as such it's a hymn of sorts to followers of the grunge scene. Wilson doesn't attempt to outsing the original (as if that would even be possible), but his voice is nicely suited to the tune, and the arrangement is faithful to the original.

The remainder of the tracks include songs from Nirvana ("Somthing In The Way"), Smashing Pumpkins ("Tonight, Tonight"), and The Postal Service. The latter is the lone unexpected choice, as it's a lesser known cut from the one-off album that duo released as a side project from Death Cab For Cutie. Wilson takes the electronics of the original to an even more intense, propulsive place, his insistent vocal leading the way as the guitars provide the instrumental punctuation.

With the crossover of pop, rock and country an established thing, this detour by Wilson probably won't raise any eyebrows with listeners. Even casual fans are mostly familiar with the hits here, after all, and his diehard fans already know this side of his personality from the incendiary full band live shows he's been playing.