Slash - Slash (14 tracks) +Album Reviews

Rock & FN Roll!!!

Sky | New York | 04/06/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ever since I read in Slash's book that he planned to do a "Slash and Friends" record I looked forward to the day it happened. Well that day is here, albeit under a different title. "Slash and Friends" was kind of a corny name anyway; the self-titled Slash is much cooler. Although I wouldn't be surprised to see this record's name ultimately default to the little inscription on the cover that reads "R&FNR". In fact that's exactly how I will refer to it for the rest of this review.

And R&FNR is certainly an apt title, because this is a great Rock and FN Roll record. You get a nice array of rock musicians combined with a nice array of rock vocalists to lift Slash to what I hope will be a big selling record for the guy. It goes without saying that Slash rips it up on every song. I dare say that R&FNR may be Slash's best recording since Appetite for Destruction...okay, at least Contraband.

Slash is joined by many different players across the 14 tracks included on the Amazon MP3 release, including to name a few: most of his former GNR members (except Axl), Dave Grohl & supposedly Travis Barker (but darned if I can figure out or find info on exactly which song(s) it is that Barker is playing on). And on vocals, the guest appearances and songs sound like this:

1. "Ghost" featuring Ian Astbury of The Cult. Great hard rocker to start the record.

2. "Crucify the Dead" with Ozzy. 'Slow & go' rocker with Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters banging the drums.

3. "Beautiful Dangerous" featuring Fergie of Black Eyed Peas. That's right...Fergie!...and she rocks. Hey, I don't know if you had a chance to see her blow the doors off Madison Square Garden singing Gimme Shelter with Mick Jagger in the HBO televised 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concert in October 2009, but this pop singer can rock.

4. "Back from Cali" has Myles Kennedy from Alter Bridge. Good rock song. Myles has some pipes. Rumor is that Myles will be will be Slash's touring singer to promote R&FNR.

5. "Promise" with Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, but you get more of the Audioslave Cornell on R&FNR...a slowish rock groover.

6. "By the Sword" has Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother howling out a slow and heavy Zeppelinesque rocker.

7. "Gotten" Adam Levine of Maroon 5 croons through this somewhat of a ballad that picks up for a bit in the middle when Slash solos.

8. "Doctor Alibi" Lemmy Kilmister deliverers what you'd expect from the Moterhead vet...a punk influenced rocker.

9. "Watch This" features Dave Grohl back behind the drum kit & Duff McKagan on bass for a heavy instrumental worthy of the title that I'd really love to see the three of these guys do live. Slash lights up the album with some serious shredding.

10. "I Hold On" with Kid Rock doin' his country rock thing.

11. "Nothing to Say" M Shadows from Avenged Sevenfold joins Slash for perhaps the heaviest track on the recording. A good hard rock tune, and the A7X influence is loud and clear.

12. "Starlight" Myles Kennedy is back for another track with a bluesy rock vibe. Kennedy can really sing.

13. "Saint is a Sinner Too" On this one a guy named Rocco DeLuca (who?) lays down the vocals for a ballady kinda tune with a slow marching beat in the background.

14. "We're All Gonna Die" Iggy Pop joins Slash on the last track for a foot stompin' party anthem that suggests, "We're all gonna die, so let's get high!"

There are even more tracks available depending on what retailer or what country you buy the disk or download from (including guest appearances by Steven Adler, Flea, Cypress Hill & Alice Cooper). But the above is what you get from Amazon.

R&FNR should, but probably won't, get enough airplay on the radio. Too many Rock radio stations these days (like Octane on Sirius) play cookie-cutter rock that for whatever reason have decided that songs with guitar solos aren't cool. This record defies that stupid theory and will hopefully help set an example for modern rock.

So all in all is R&FNR a masterpiece? No, but it is a very good Rock record. Buy it now.

"

Better than expected

J. Cavazos | Nashville, TN United States | 04/15/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this CD without an expectation, I was there in the 80's when Gn'R came out but those years have been long gone and have not followed Slash all that closely. It is good to see that Slash has evolved and is not affraid to venture into different territory. I found most of the songs on this CD quite tasteful and well arranged, I am not a fan of Fergie and cringed when I saw Adam Levine's name but it turns out Adam delivers the song incredibly well.

Don't get me wrong, my favorite song is still Doctor Alibi with Lemmy, as I am mainly a rocker but I am really pleased with this record as a listener and as a guitarist.

You just can't have an 80's mullet forever you know? at some point it started looking ridiculous."

Old school rocks

Javier Servigon | Ecuador | 04/06/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Granted, some records you have to listen to a couple of times before you fully digest them and enjoy them. But this is Slash... it's good old fashioned Rock n' Roll. I've only listen to it once, may be after a couple of days I'll be able to write something more "in depth." For now, what comes to mind is that feeling I got when I first heard Contraband... rock is not dead after all. It sounds what Guns would sound like if Slash and company hadn't departed."

Rock or mellow-out to with a six pack, or as Slash might pre

Daniel Maltzman | Arlington, MA, USA | 04/07/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Having recorded five albums with Guns N' Roses, two with Slash's Snakepit and two with Velvet Revolver, Slash finally unleashes his first solo album, with a motley collection of players. "Slash" (2010) features a cast of newer cats such as Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge), and Adam Levine (Maroon 5) and veterans such as Ian Astbury (the Cult) and Ozzy Osbourne.

"Slash" is a highly diverse album that should have something for everyone, as the album doesn't have a lot of repetition, as each song is a unique collaboration between Slash and the guest artist featured on the track. Bassist Chad Chaney (Jane's Addiction) and John Freese (A Perfect Circle, Guns N' Roses, Nine Inch Nails) round out the band.

1. Ghosts (featuring Ian Astbury). A great mid-tempo opener that wouldn't have been out of place on the Cult's "Electric" (1987) album. Great to see Slash and Izzy rock once more.

2. Crucify the Dead (featuring Ozzy Osbourne). A bluesy, haunting vintage Ozzy-rocker that really wouldn't sound out-of-place on any of his albums. Although Slash has denied it, with lyrics like "A loaded gun jammed by a rose, the thorns are not around your head, your ego cursed you till you bled," it's hard not to believe this song isn't about Axl.

3. Beautiful Dangerous (featuring Fergie). The album takes a real left-turn with this song which sounds a bit like the band Garbage. When I first heard that Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas would be singing on this album, I was not impressed, to say the least. Seemed like a totally lame idea--an obvious attempt at creating a cross-over hit. That said, "Beautiful Dangerous" totally rocks. Fergie actually has a powerful voice that fits the song really well. The song has a great hook and should be an obvious choice to use as a single.

4. Back from Cali (featuring Myles Kennedy). Not bad, but not great either. A typical bluesy rocker from Slash that sounds like one of the more forgettable songs from a Snakepit album. Kennedy is a strong singer, but this is sort of a middle-of-the-road rocker that sort of meanders and doesn't really get off the ground.

5. Promise (featuring Chris Cornell). I've always wanted to see Slash collaborate with Chris Cornell and I am very pleased with the results. This song is a little reminiscent of "Do You Know My Name," the title song from "Casino Royale." "Promise" doesn't grab hold of you right away; rather it builds up with its solid groove and infectious hook.

6. By the Sword (featuring Andrew Stockdale). Since this features the singer from Wolfmother, it should come as little surprise that it sounds very Zeppelin-esque. A strong, bluesy rocker that doesn't make for a bad first single.

7. Gotten (featuring Adam Levine). Much like with the Fergie song, it seemed pretty lame that Slash would want to record a track with a pop-singer like Adam Levine. Another obvious attempt at a cross-over hit, "Gotten" is actually much better than one might think. It certainly has more soul than most adult-contemporary tripe that's popular today. This is actually a song that both GN'R fans and soccer moms could go for.

8. Doctor Alibi (featuring Lemmy Kilmeister). Not at all surprisingly this one sounds a lot like Motorhead. Maybe not up there with "Ace of Spades," but "Doctor Alibi" is short, sweet and definitely rocking.

9. Watch this Dave (featuring Dave Grohl and Duff McKagan). A song featuring alumni from both Nirvana and Guns N' Roses? No, that can't be. Won't there be a rip in the space-time-continuum or something? Apparently not. "Watch this Dave" is a good jam with strong instrumental fire-power that fans of Slash should dig.

10. I Hold On (featuring Kid Rock). As expected this sounds a bit like updated Lynyrd Skynyrd. Neither Kid Rock nor Slash's greatest accomplishment ever, but solid.

11. Nothing to Say (featuring M Shadows). A touch of speed-metal with a classic Sabbath riff. Pretty heavy and a good counter-weight to the Levine song.

12. Starlight (featuring Myles Kennedy). Maybe nothing ground-breaking, but a pretty mid-tempo rocker none-the-less. Definitely a cut above most generic ballads.

13. Saint is a Sinner Too (featuring Rocco Deluca). Probably the most off-beat song on the album, this rather haunting, low-key song slowly builds up. Features some of the most exquisite playing on the album.

14. We're All Gonna Die (featuring Iggy Pop). As its hedonistic, nihilistic, but amusing title might suggest, this balls-out rocker is Iggy at his best. A perfect closer.

While Slash didn't attempt to push the envelope creatively the way his former colleague Axl Rose did with (the stronger) "Chinese Democracy" (2008) "Slash" is still a solid collection of songs that, while not earth shattering, should please his fans and rockers in general. "Slash" is the type of album that you can play over and over again and rock or mellow-out to with a six pack, or as Slash might prefer, a bottle of Jack.

"

Awesome collection of styles

C. Konkle | Southern California | 04/08/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't want to do a song by song review. But just note that each track has a style catered to each featuring artist, but still remaining very "Slash".

It's almost like Slash was making tribute or homage to his current favorites.

How good is this album? I hate the Black Eyed Peas, I can't stand Fergie most of the time...but I am eating crow right now. "Beautiful Dangerous" featuring Fergie is turning into one of my favorite tracks.

I really hope they can perform this live somewhere, perhaps another late night gig. The energy she brings must be seen.

Well done Slash, I see myself playing this album for weeks on end."

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