Trust No One

Album Review

In the midst of leaving the Red Hot Chili Peppers and reuniting with Jane's Addiction for a tour, Dave Navarro planned on releasing a handful of new material under the name Spread. Rather than progressing forward with the Spread material, he found himself addicted to heroin and isolated from his friends and family. On the verge of self-destruction, Navarro realized that he needed to clean up his life. To begin his healing process, he wrote and recorded new material, confronting the feelings and vices that almost brought his life to an end during a failed suicide attempt. Trust No One is an intimate look into Navarro's macabre past, and unveils his fear of relationships and the complex feelings of abandonment, distrust, and loneliness that have remained with him since witnessing the murders of his mother and aunt at a young age. From the opening bars of "Rexall," the album's first single, to the closing lullaby-like "Slow Motion Sickness," Navarro's smoky tenor voice sounds refreshingly natural and polished. Instead of writing material to showcase his guitar skills, he has concocted an album of fresh and cohesive songs, featuring lush harmonies, driving percussion, and even a generous amount of electronic programming. In addition to handling vocal and guitar work and writing all of the words and music on the album, Navarro also played bass and keyboards and co-produced it. Almost as if to prove himself to his peers as well as his fans, Navarro has crafted a solo debut that lacks any calculated recipe for success. Instead, it exercises his true musicianship, often showing a likeness to other multi-instrumentalist/songwriters like Lenny Kravitz and Pete Yorn. Joining Navarro for the trip is an impressive roster of guest artists, including Matt Chamberlain (Tori Amos, Fiona Apple), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Danny Saber (Black Grape, David Bowie), and Brendan O'Brien; by playing various instruments and mixing the tracks, these musicians give Trust No One a sound reminiscent of Stone Temple Pilots on songs like "Hungry," "Mourning Son," and "Slow Motion Sickness." Another one of the album's highlights is a cover of "Venus in Furs," the Velvet Underground song that influenced Navarro so much that he would often play parts of it during interludes at Jane's Addiction shows. Marking the triumph of overcoming his personal tragedies, Dave Navarro has put together a solid and impressive solo debut that shares his questions about love, life, and relationships, while leaving the listener as anxious to find the answers as he is.