Although he has yet to land a lead singer for his band Velvet Revolver, Slash has managed to round up no less than twelve to work with him on his eponymous solo debut. Slash, released in early April, features a host of stellar musicians, all cherry-picked by the legendary guitarist himself, and includes three of his former Guns N’ Roses bandmates—Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan and Steven Adler.
The top-hat wearing, chain-smoking iconic guitarist has written songs that will forever be remembered as some of the best in the history of rock music while a member of GNR, Slash’s Snakepit and the Grammy Award-winning Velvet Revolver, who were forced on an indefinite hiatus in 2008 when lead singer Scott Weiland bailed to reunite with Stone Temple Pilots and whose search for a replacement vocalist remains ongoing. Having spent the better part of two decades inside the confines of a group situation, a democracy where band members have equal input, working the new album afforded Slash the creative freedom to experiment without concern that his ideas might be nitpicked to death or get passed over entirely. On Slash, he's the only one calling the shots.
For his first solo record, Slash wanted to put out a body of work that encompassed the many different styles of music he's into, songs that may not have been a proper fit for his previous musical endeavors. He handled the majority of arranging and songwriting duties himself and then farmed each song out to the singer he thought most appropriate for it. He chose to surrounded himself with musicians who were some of his heroes growing up as well as some of his contemporaries whose styles and work ethics were new to him.
With a rhythm section that included bassist Chris Chaney (Jane's Addiction) and drummer Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails), Slash enlisted the vocal talents of such rock luminaries as Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, Ian Astbury and Lemmy Kilmister, as well as up-and-coming singers like the red-hot M. Shadows and Andrew Stockdale. He calls the discoveries inherent in having to adapt to the unique styles of such a diverse and distinguished lineup both enlightening and liberating and claims the experience has made him a better player, if you can imagine that.
Slash opens with The Cult frontman Ian Astbury lending his voice to "Ghost," a song that sets the trend of the album with Slash, accompanied by his longtime GNR counterpart Izzy Stradlin, playing to the strengths of the vocalist rather than commanding the spotlight himself. Although this is unmistakably Slash in all his shredding glory, he humbly sets aside his ego to allow his guests to shine on the album.
On "Crucify the Dead" he slows things down and merely lurks in the background, allowing Ozzy Osbourne to drive the song. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave turns up on "Promise," which Slash calls the "most unorthodox piece of music I've ever written," while Kid Rock delivers a beautifully understated performance on "I Hold On." Slash also had the opportunity to work with fellow Brit Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, who graces the record with his snarling, gravelly vocals on the rollicking track "Doctor Alibi," and the always innovative Iggy Pop doing his thing on the album closer, "We're All Gonna Die."
Dipping into the more contemporary end of the musical pool, Slash chose Wolfmother vocalist Andrew Stockdale for the album's lead-off single, "By The Sword," while Maroon 5's Adam Levine steps up to the microphone to deliver the smooth vocals that accompany Slash's slow-moving riffs on the gorgeous ballad "Gotten." He also teams up with Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows, himself an admitted old-school GNR fan, on the heavy metal song "Nothing to Say," as well as giving California indie artist Rocco DeLuca a shot on "Saint is a Sinner Too."
With such an eclectic mix of vocalists, it was his collaboration with Fergie on the song "Beautiful Dangerous" that proved most surprising. Slash first met the Black Eyed Peas vocalist when the two played a charity event together. He calls her a "closet rock 'n' roll singer," saying that her voice “blew my mind.” Fergie's ability to hit the high notes associated with Axl Rose led Slash to entrust her with the vocals on "Sweet Child O' Mine" during a Rose Bowl performance in 2009 in front of an estimated 95,000 people. He's been anxious for the chance to work with her again ever since. In addition to "Beautiful Dangerous," Fergie also recorded the GNR classic "Paradise City" along with Cypress Hill as a bonus track.
There were only two singers who turned Slash down when approached with the project. Dave Grohl, of Nirvana, Foo Fighter and Them Crooked Vultures fame, passed on adding vocals to the album, claiming he sucks at doing guest spots, but offered to play drums instead, which prompted Slash to turn the song "Watch This" into an instrumental piece to accommodate Grohl. Jack White also offered his services as drummer or guitarist but declined to sing on the album as well, a decision that proved fortuitous for Slash when it ultimately led him to Alter Bridge frontman, Myles Kennedy.
Kennedy makes two appearances on the album, first on the slow-rolling "Back From Cali" and then again on the bluesier gem "Starlight." Once rumored to have been selected as the touring vocalist for Led Zeppelin for their reunion tour, Kennedy has an amazing voice and possesses a 4-octave vocal range. Although Slash and Myles Kennedy had never met prior to the recording of Slash, the two men got on so well that Kennedy has been named to front the band on Slash's current world tour to promote the new album. The upcoming tour runs through September with more dates to be added and will include music from the solo album as well as some selections from Guns N' Roses, Snakepit, Velvet Revolver and an Alter Bridge song or two.
With genres ranging from hard rock, to heavy metal, to bluesy acoustics, there's something to whet the musical appetite of just about everyone on Slash. It's a killer album and a must for your collection.
