By Anthony R. Cruikshank
If you’re a Blind Melon fan you might be asking yourself, “Wasn’t the lead singer Shannon Hoon’s life tragically cut short?” Yes, that is true; and no, Blind Melon hasn’t decided to go with the same name and a different vocalist. There were quite a few great songs that Shannon recorded that haven’t been released, such as “Soup”, the title song to their last album, Soul One. This album was recorded on an eight track as part of a demo in ’91. “Letters From a Porcupine” is another unreleased cut which was recorded over a phone onto an answering machine.
Shannon’s vocals are as superb as always and the instrumentals are up to the high quality that you would expect. Nico is also enhanced by some quick time video, lyrics, a newspaper article, and other cool stuff that is available through most CD-rom drives. This, definitely the last album in the Blind Melon legacy, has been dedicated to Shannon’s daughter, Nico Blue Hoon. And part of the proceeds are being donated to the Musicians Assistants Program or (MAP), which is dedicated to the sole purpose of helping musicians recover from drug and alcohol abuse problems. If you would like to make a contribution to the educational fund for Nico Blue that was set up in Shannon’s memory:
Nico Blue Hoon
Education Fund
c/o Shapiro & Co.
9229 Sunset Bivd., Suite 607
Los Angeles, CA 90069