Gibson Records
Out Now
When I read the name of Slash’s upcoming solo album, I thought for a moment that he’s moved into making soundtracks for some kind of weird vampire fetish porn. Unfortunately, that’s not the case and it turns out that what I’m about to put myself through is not a Guns N Roses album, or a Velvet Revolver album, or even a Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators album, but instead a blues covers album.
This excites me, but not because of the guest list as long as the original Slash solo album which includes the likes of Gary Clark Jr, Billy F. Gibbons, Chris Stapleton, Chris Robinson, Dorothy, Iggy Pop, Steven Tyler, Paul Rodgers, Demi Lovato, Brian Johnson, Tash Neal, Chris Robinson, and Beth Hart which are some big names across the rock, blues, country and even pop genres. What gets me the most excited is that I’m expecting to hear an extenuation of those heavy blue influences that Slash has always had, but that we may not have heard so much of since Slash’s Snakepit way back in the day. I won’t be a beggar, and hang on too long though, so me let get into talking about the important part, the music.
First up is The Pusher by Steppenwolf. This track features Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes on both vocals and harmonica. When he says “here it comes” I’m expecting Slash to rip in with a guitar solo but instead get a harmonica solo, and I’m not at all disappointed. If you know the track, it’s a cruisy one which makes a nice gentle start to the album. No flair here, it just sets the mood for some kickback time on the porch with a cigar and a cold whiskey. Well, there is a little bit of flair in the solos, but you’d expect no less from Slash, would you?
Crossroad Blues, the Robert Lee Johnson classic is up next, and it’s taken on by the one and only Gary Clarke Jr who takes on vocals, rhythm guitar, and solo duties. I’m not sure which solo, as there is a few of them and I’m not about to guess and make a fool of myself by choosing the wrong one. I think it’s the middle one though, but either way, Slash and/or Gary smash it out of the park on every account!
The dirty, raspy guitar tone at the start of Willie Dixons Hoochie Coochie Man gives a hint of who is about to guest on this track. And that filthy tone belongs to ZZ Tops’ very own Billy Gibbons who delivers vocals, rhythm guitar and a solo. It’s a little easier to pick who does which solo in this one because the tones a dead giveaway. Not Slash’s tone though, because it’s not that signature Gibson Les Paul into a Marshall tone but instead a grittier version thanks to a new deal with Magnatone and a switch to a Vintage Gibson ES335. That’s a discussion for an online guitar forum though, and not here.
I can’t say that I was feeling very excited when I read the next track was going to be a Fleetwood Mac cover, but here we are, and Oh Well already sounds like a rocking good time once that iconic intro riff kicks in. Southern Rock and Bluegrass legend Chris Stapleton takes on the vocal duties for this track. Not that there are too many major vocal parts in this non-stop blues rocker that just keeps riffing along.
A blues standard by the name of Key To The Highway originally recorded by Charlie Segar all the way back in 1940 is up next. Yeah, I googled all of that and I also tried to google who the guest vocalist Dorothy is, but without a last name, I’m getting results of green dinosaurs, a goldfish from Sesame Street, and a protagonist from the Wizard of Oz. One thing I am sure about is that Dorothy is not one of those. I’m also sure fans of the blues will know who belongs to this single name moniker. Oh yeah, let’s not forget the song, it was a good time!
I’ve never thought of blues when I hear the name Iggy Pop, but here we are, and here he is singing on Awful Dream, originally by Lightnin’ Hopkins. Yeah, I’ll admit that I don’t know half these artist names or the song names, but all the songs have a familiarity to them as if I’ve heard them all somewhere before. Maybe it’s because blues is everywhere, especially on this track as the tempo slows down for Iggy to show off his softer, bluesy, crooning side. He might even do some kind of weird, vocalised harmonica thing, but I’m not sure, I couldn’t quite figure out what that weird noise was.
The intro riff to Born Under a Bad Side again sounds so very familiar. It’s a track by Albert King which has been inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, and the National Recording Registry. It’s easy to tell why as it’s a catchy little number, made even better by Slash’s flawless guitar stylings and the smooth vocals of Paul Rogers.
Ok, you’ll all know this next one, it’s the Motown hit Papa Was A Rolling Stone by The Undisputed Truth. Everyone talks about needing more cowbell all the time, but what we really need is more Talk Box and Slash delivers on this track. If you don’t know what a talk box is, it’s that guitar effect where they shape their mouth around a tube, and it makes the guitar sound like it’s talking. Just think of the main riffs in Anything Goes, Sweet Emotion, Livin’ on a Prayer, or the solo in Kick Start My Heart. As for the real voice on this track, those duties go to lovely Demi Lovato.
Next up is the lead single from the album, Howlin’ Wolf‘s defining classic Killing Floor. This track features AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson on vocals as well as a guest appearance by Steven Tyler from Aerosmith who takes on harmonica duties. I’m sure most of you have already heard this tune on the radio, but what you might not know is that there is a music video available on YouTube for you to check out some of the recording footage. It’s a fun track, even with those harmonica parts.
I can see the end getting near, even though Stevie Wonder can’t. Nevertheless, I guess he’s pretty excited to hear Slash cover his track Living For The City. I was wondering how a chick called Tash Neal managed to get such a deep vocal tone. I even considered that maybe I shouldn’t assume genders and unintentionally utilise the wrong pronoun. Too late, Tash Neal is a bloke from a rock duo called The London Souls. Sorry Tash, no pun intended.
Who in the fuck am I trying to kid? That whole paragraph is one big pun, which must mean that we’ve almost made it to the end. Not before we hear the T-Bone Walker classic Stormy Monday, though. I mean, I don’t know the song, but it has some solid Still Got The Blues feeling to it, and I may even take a guess at saying that Slash may have jumped back on a Les Paul on the neck pick-up to get that sweet smooth tone that wails over the top of Beth Hart‘s incredible vocal performance. I might let the clowns over at Unpopular Guitarpinions weigh in with their expertise on this one, though.
Ok, there is one more to go and it’s tilted Metal Chesnut. Is this a metal song, did Slash throw one in just to keep the HEAVY fans at ease? It could be because it’s actually the only original Slash song on this album. Well, the answer is no, and oddly enough it’s another blues track, an instrumental one. It’s basically Slash just doing what he does best and soloing like no one else can. Not like Slash, anyway! And let’s be honest here, apart from that one bung note he plays in the middle of the Sweet Child O’ Mine solo, he is one of the greatest guitarists of all time and if you disagree, you are wrong.
