Bush

Bush was the grunge heartthrob of 1995, an unlikely blend of punk guitars, perfect cheekbones, and the shakiest American accents to cross the Atlantic since Tim Roth in Reservoir Dogs. Nobody gave a toss for these Londoners at home, but millions of Americans inhaled the teen-spirit aroma emanating from lead singer Gavin Rossdale, a grunge sexpot with eyelashes you could hang Christmas tree ornaments on. Gavin had a bruised, boyish ache in his voice that made him sound gorgeously tormented, while his band plowed efficiently through the loud-quiet-loud Seattle songbook. Hipsters complained that Bush was just a mishmash of Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but if we had had any idea how much uglier rock radio was about to get, we all would have appreciated Bush for the excellent singles band it was, especially "Glycerine," "Mouth," and "Machinehead." "Swallowed," from the Steve Albini production Razorblade Suitcase, remains one of the '90s' great forgotten hits, an anguished power ballad wherein Gavin yowls, "I'm here with everyone/And you're not." The hits stopped coming, but Rossdale remained in the public eye as one of the few male rock stars of his time to trade on sex rather than violence, while also serving as elbow candy for No Doubt's Gwen Stefani. (ROB SHEFFIELD)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide