This came out in 2005 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
For Jimmy Chamberlin, life begins again at 40.
The drummer spent years holding down the backbeat for Billy Corgan’s Smashing Pumpkins — and even tagged along for Corgan’s post-Pumpkins outfit Zwan. So guess what his first solo album sounds like. Nope, not like that. Instead of the supernova power-chord alt-rock you expect, Chamberlin indulges the jazzier side of his style for most of Life Begins Again. Utilizing the hyperactive, snare-heavy stickwork that is his trademark, the octopus-like percussionist spends much of this 11-song set pushing his skilled band through intricate, jam-friendly instrumentals interrupted now and then by various vocalists. One of those just happens to be old pal Corgan, who drops by to lend a vocal (and a dose of commercial potential) to one track. But that, along with a few distortion-pedal guitar licks, is about as close as this CD gets to alt-rock nostalgia. Clearly, Chamberlin is taking the title of Life Begins Again to heart — at least in the creative sense.
