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Nov 01, 2008 Year End 2008 - Best of 2008 By Frank Valish

For many ’90s music fans, Blind Melon represented much more than just “No Rain” and the Bee Girl that propelled the band to fame. The music (most notably the dark, experimental sophomore album, Soup) achieved remarkable depth and enduring cult status, led by the tortured, screaming, childlike vocals of frontman Shannon Hoon. Sadly, Hoon’s life was cut short at age 28, the result of a history of drug abuse and reckless behavior. It’s an all-too-frequent story in rock and roll, but one that Greg Prato tells with poignant effectiveness in this oral history. Relying mostly on interviews with band members, friends, industry personnel, handlers, and Hoon’s mother, A Devil on One Shoulder avoids the pitfalls of the format through its vivid storytelling. Prato not only manages to gather the specifics, but more importantly paints a picture of a band and frontman possessed of brilliance yet troubled by demons. And for those affected by the music and saddened by the loss, that is the perfect closure. (http://stores.lulu.com/gregprato)

Author rating: 7/10