Tommy Stinson, believe it or not, was only 24 years old when the Replacements disbanded. For a band as beloved and seminal as the Mats it just seems like they should have been around alot longer than they actually were. Seeing the writing on the wall as the sessions for All Shook Down (the Mats swan song) turned into Paul Westerberg's first solo record, Stinson was already shopping demos of his new outfit Bash & Pop.

Bash & Pop, as we know, didn't pan out - nor did any other project Tommy would attempt to get off the ground, and in 1997 Stinson was invited to replace Duff McKagan as the bass player for Guns N' Roses. Now after six years in that mired mess and God knows how many unheard GNR tracks behind him, he was right back where he started - it was like All Shook Down all over again.

Fortuitously Stinson asked Frank Black (a friend of a friend) if he could rent his studio and gear while he was out on tour with the Catholics, and the ex-Pixie told Stinson he could move on in and make himself at home, as long as he paid his engineer. This is tantamount to a miracle and resulted in the resurrection of Stinson's recording career in the form of the oddly titled Village Gorilla Head.

VGH certainly validates Stinson's contribution to the Replacement's legacy. If you've got a jones for that old insouciant recklessness that was the hallmark of the Mats, Stinson has got your fix. Melding Big Star melodies with the pure rock spirit of T Rex cum Bowie cum Clash. But this record is far from being a lot of bilious bluster - like Westerberg, Stinson has matured and his cigarette-riddled vocals croak out his been-around-the-block ballads as well, if not better, than the more raucous tracks.

Stinson has been as greatly blessed (he was 13 years old when he joined the Replacements) and deeply cursed (he languished in limbo for half a decade while Axil Rose floundered in his comeback attempts.) And yet here he is, a relatively young man with a new lease on life. It's fascinating how many influences Stinson has absorbed and tipped his hat toward in this comeback effort. And while Village Gorilla Head is not an unqualified masterpiece, it's certainly one of the most interesting and welcome records of the year.