Soup is the second studio album by American rock band Blind Melon, released on August 15, 1995, through Capitol Records.

"2 X 4" is about lead singer Shannon Hoon's experience at a drug detox, while the lyrics to the acoustic ballad "Walk" cryptically reference his addiction and attempts to recovery.

In a 2015 interview with the Songfacts website, Christopher Thorn explained how purchasing a variety of instruments led to the writing of certain songs on the album.

(dated August 5, 1995), Paul Rees gave the album a "4 K review" (which means "Klassik"), saying, "Soup - bold, barmy, and borderline great.

"[14] In the August 21, 1995, issue of People, Andrew Abrahams gave the album a somewhat positive review, saying, "If Blind Melon's eclectic approach sounds a bit maddening, it can be.

"[15] In issue 716 of Rolling Stone (dated September 7, 1995), Ted Drozdowski gave a scathing review of the album, ending his write-up with the statement, "With such slight fare to offer – and no kid in a bee suit – Soup puts Blind Melon in hot water.

magazine's "Albums of the Year" list, above releases by the likes of Alice in Chains, Faith No More, Green Day, Ozzy Osbourne, and AC/DC.

[21] In the book, Andreas Himmelstein called Soup "a beautiful album filled with magical melodies that has completely undeservedly disappeared from the focus of the rock world.

"[21] In the 2009 book, A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon, drummer Glen Graham is quoted as saying, "I talked to a guy from Spain yesterday [from Popular 1 Magazine], and he was saying, "Soup is the top album of the '90s according to our readers.'

[26] In an interview with the Long Island Pulse website in 2018, Thorn discussed why he feels the album has developed a cult following over the years.

"[27] In 2020, the Grammy site posted an article entitled How Blind Melon Lost Their Minds & Made A Masterpiece: 'Soup' Turns 25, that stated "Soup has quietly become a dark-horse favorite of the alt-rock era among fans and critics.

"[2] In the aforementioned interview with Songfacts in 2015, Thorn spoke about plans for the band to perform the Soup album in its entirety, for the first time ever.