by Randal Schmidt
About fourteen years after Guns N’ Roses, the band that rocketed Slash to fame, broke up, the top-hat-wearing guitarist recently released his first solo album.
Perhaps “solo album” is not the correct term. The self-titled CD is no solo affair. While Velvet Revolver is on hiatus, Slash brought together an impressive group of musicians for this work.
Each track features a different vocalist, with such diverse talent as Ian Astbury of the Cult, Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, and Kid Rock. Slash’s former bandmate, Duff McKagan, Iggy Pop and Adam Levine are among the other collaborators. Even Fergie makes an appearance.
The lineup looks exciting, but the resulting musical output is mixed. There is no denying that the album is ambitious. Slash is expanding his range beyond the comfortable metal sound he has cultivated over the years.
Slash’s guitar playing is golden on every track, though. The album’s first song, “Ghost,” contains an opening riff that is highly reminiscent of “Appetite for Destruction-era” Slash–that is to say, awesome! This engaging ax work continues to the closing track.
If Slash’s objective was to show how gifted he is with the guitar, he succeeded in a big way. But this review has to take into account each overall song, including vocals, and that is where the album falters.
The most obvious mistake is “Beautiful Dangerous” with Fergie. Whoever thought Slash and Fergie would make a good pairing could not have been more wrong. Say what you want about her vocal talents, but one thing is certain: her voice does not belong on a heavy metal album.
Adam Levine of Maroon 5 may seem like another odd choice, but his track, “Gotten,” surprisingly stands out as one of the best on the album. Something about Slash’s soft backing guitar mixed with Levine’s falsetto voice works.
Strange that one of the unusual selections produced greatness, when some of the duets that seem obvious actually turn out some mediocre songs.
Putting Ozzy Osbourne and Slash on one track together seems like a match made in heaven, but “Crucify the Dead” doesn’t deliver. This song probably would have blown our minds in 1992, but Ozzy just has not been the same since “The Osbournes.”
The rest of the tracks are solid, but not remarkable. “Doctor Alibi” with Lemmy rocks just like it should, and Myles Kennedy makes a good showing on his two tracks. The instrumental “Watch This” reunites Slash with Duff McKagan on bass and shows the two of them were the real talent in Guns N’ Roses.
The variety on Slash makes it worth checking out, but ultimately the result is an average rock record. Pick up a copy if you love hearing Slash shred on guitar. He’s still got it.