Cure for Pain - Morphine

Cure for Pain is Morphine's second album and first for Rykodisc, released in 1993. The trio of vocalist and two-string slide bass player Mark Sandman, saxophonist Dana Colley, and drummer Billy Conway refined the sound introduced on their debut into a more polished and atmospheric record. The album's six-minute title track sets the tone — Sandman's low, murmured vocal over a hypnotic bass riff while Colley's baritone saxophone provides a melancholy countermelody. The program moves between slow-burning blues like "Buena" and "All Wrong" and more uptempo pieces, with Colley switching between baritone and tenor saxophone throughout. The production, by Sandman and Paul Q. Kolderie, captures the band's live sound while adding depth through layered saxophone parts and subtle studio touches. "Candy" and "Mary Won't You Call My Name?" demonstrate the band's ability to write hooks without conventional rock instrumentation — the saxophone melodies are as memorable as any guitar riff. Cure for Pain became Morphine's commercial breakthrough, reaching the indie charts and earning critical praise for its originality. The album remains the band's best-known work and the clearest distillation of their unique approach, blending elements of jazz, blues, and rock into something that resisted easy categorization.