EMI, 2010
7/10
Although former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash has released a couple albums under the Slash’s Snakepit moniker, Slash is being regarded as his first true solo album. A revolving door of musicians and singers were employed for the recordings. Each song features a different singer except for Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy, who sings on two of the tracks. Other luminaries present here are a surprisingly diverse group from across the rock and pop world, including Ozzy Osbourne, Kid Rock, Lemmy, and Fergie, among others. Albums full of guest musicians are never as great as their impressive credentials may lead one to believe, usually due to inconsistent styles. Slash succeeds in this regard more than most solo albums of this type. Most of the songs are middle-of-the-road heavy rock that generally do not disappoint unless you are expecting this to sound like Guns N’ Roses, which this does not. The other general impression is that each vocalist is singing to fit the track. That is, it does not seem that each track was written to fit the style of the singer. This really seems to be the reason Slash largely succeeds as a solo album. All of the singers perform admirably, even on “Beautiful Dangerous”, the much-maligned collaboration with Fergie of Black Eyed Peas. The clear highlight is “Nothing To Say”, one of the heaviest songs ever written by Slash that features M. Shadows (Avenged Sevenfold). Other strong tracks are the acoustic “Saint Is A Sinner Too”, featuring singer Rocco DeLuca, instrumental “Watch This” (Dave Grohl and Duff McKagan), and By The Sword (Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother). The only true stinker here is “I Hold One” with Kid Rock with its annoying chorus of female backup singers. Overall, though, Slash is an artistically satisfying solo album that breaks free of the usual curse when too many musicians and singers are involved with a record. Slash’s abilities as a songwriter and guitarist really shine through without being overshadowed by the impressive list of collaborators. The touring band will feature Myles Kennedy on vocals, so it will be interesting to hear his interpretation of both these songs and the Guns N’ Roses catalog.
Slash will be appearing at Northern Lights Casino in Walker on Friday, May 21.
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