News | Guitar World Column | Interviews | Pictures | Album Reviews | Gig Reviews | Release Dates | History | Articles | Setlists | Upcoming | Contact
Slash: Self-titled solo debut
By Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal

Release Date: April 6th, 2010
Record Label: Universal Music

My rating points:



    Track Listing:
  1. Ghost (Ian Astbury, feat. Izzy Stradlin) (3:34)
  2. Crucify The Dead (Ozzy Osbourne) (4:04)
  3. Beautiful Dangerous (Fergie) (4:35)
  4. Promise (Chris Cornell) (4:41)
  5. By The Sword (Andrew Stockdale) (4:50)
  6. Gotten (Adam Levine) (5:05)
  7. Doctor Alibi (Lemmy) (3:07)
  8. Watch This (Dave Grohl, Duff McKagan) (3:46)
  9. I'll Hold On (Kid Rock) (4:10)
  10. Nothing To Say (M. Shadows) (5:27)
  11. Starlight (Myles Kennedy) (5:35)
  12. Saint Is A Sinner Too (Rocco De Luca) (3:28)
  13. We're All Gonna Die (Iggy Pop) (4:30)
  14. Back From Cali (Myles Kennedy) (3.37)

Slash is one of the greatest rock guitarists the world has ever seen. He is best known for his exploits in legendary Guns N Roses, and later on in Velvet Revolver. But now his self-titled solo debut album is ready to hit the market and I feel fortunate enough to be a part of this historic moment. There is a plethora of guest appearances on each and every song of this album. I am sure I've never come across an album like this. But of course the common factor in all songs is the one and only Slash. I'm really interested to find out track-by-track, as to how this mega compilation of musicians has turned out.

The album starts off with 'Ghost'. The main riff is easy on the ears while Ian Astbury of The Cult fits perfectly on vocals. Fans of the old school Guns N Roses will be delighted to hear Izzy Stradlin's work on rhythm guitar. It's got an easy-going tempo and aura about it, an ideal drive-along track to play in your car stereo. The guitar solo is very smoothly done and has Slash stamped all over it. It's not an explosive start to the album by any means, but a great one nonetheless. It's the kind that makes you curious about the rest of the album. Talking of which, the next track 'Crucify The Dead' is a slower and more of a powerful song. It's heavy in parts and soothingly melodious in others. The vocals are done by none other than Ozzy Osbourne, who has succeeded in silencing all his detractors in grand style. His performance is nothing short of amazing here. This combination of Ozzy and Slash is simply killer. I have had the good fortune of attending a Slash show with Ozzy singing on a few songs, but those were Ozzy and Sabbath songs. To see this kind of result for an original composition with the two of them is something I couldn't be happier with.

Track number 3 is called 'Beautiful Dangerous', words that can be used to describe the performance on vocals by Fergie. I was slightly apprehensive when I saw her name on the track listing, her being a rap/hip-hop singer. But it goes to show that a talented vocalist can easily expand his or her foray into other genres, given the motivation and the correct collaboration. The rap-style vocals might be weird for some at first, but you will slowly realise that it's in tune with the music. It's definitely something to ponder upon, being so different from the old school rock-n-roll. Such is the magnitude of talent on this album that it moves from Fergie straight to Chris Cornell on the next song 'Promise'. Now, honestly I'm not a fan of Soundgarden and that particular style of music. This song proves why. There is nothing wrong with Chris's vocals at all. In fact his multi-octave singing is quite unique. But the music just never shines through in a grungy song like this. The solo is really short and there is hardly anything noteworthy as rhythm guitar sound. May be I'll like it more after a few listens. Moving on, 'By The Sword' starts off with quite a clear Southern rock flavor. The acoustic intro is so simple yet so pure, it makes me want to pick up my acoustic and play it right now. On vocals and probably on guitar as well, is Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother, widely regarded as one of the better hard rock bands out there today. The guitar is certainly more prominent on this one than the previous song, or any of the first 4 songs for that matter. The selection of guest musician is just perfect. We are only into track number 5 and this already sounds like the song that'll be hard to beat.

Things take a pop-ish turn with the following tune 'Gotten'. I think it's appropriate the way the music is changing with every song, according to the genre the vocalist comes from, perhaps with the exception of the Fergie track. It's the same case with this one as well, the vocalist being Adam Levine from the band Maroon 5. The first half of the song is weak but picks up a little bit in the latter portions. It's one of the weakest songs on the album. The track I was most waiting to hear comes next, the reason being Lemmy! 'Doctor Alibi' is like a Motorhead song with Slash on guitar, which is totally fine with me. Lemmy never fails to amaze, and he has done so yet again with his vocals that just refuse to get old. It almost feels as if the vocals infused a new life into Slash's guitar playing as well. If we ever get to see this tune being performed live, the sheer presence of this duo on stage will be quite explosive to say the least. 'Watch This' follows, with none other than Dave Grohl and Duff McKagan as guests. This is the only instrumental on the album. The music arrangement interests me a lot. There are a few tempo changes but generally it's of the slow and heavy kind, as most of this album has been. The level of musicianship on display is classy, but this is another track that will take time to grow on the listener, mainly because of the lack of speed. Having said that, the guitar solo should be an instant classic.

The 9th track is 'I Hold On' with Kid Rock on vocals. I'm afraid this is another track that goes too much into the mainstream, just like 'Gotten' does. I certainly can't appreciate it, although Slash does save it from being a total turn-off. From this slightly dull pop tune to the next song 'Nothing To Say', there is a vast change in the music, tempo and vocals. M Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold has laid down vocals here. It starts out in a doom-laden style but quickly picks up. The fast alternate picking rhythm guitar sound is refreshingly different from anything on the album so far and should make the listeners rock out with full force. This song has substance and a sort of 'fullness' about it, probably that's why it's the longest one on the album. Once again the general theme and sound here has traces of the signature style of the guest's band, Avenged Sevenfold in this case. This is more evident in this song than any others I would say. Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge fame is the next to feature on this album, on the following song 'Starlight'. It's of the same duration as the previous one, but unlike that, this one is a slow number. I can't help but feel that the album has too many of these, and some of them won't get the individual recognition. The performance on vocals is good, the guitar riffs and solos are good, but there is nothing that stands out. There is quite a possibility that this song will be lost among the other better tracks on the record.

Having said that, there aren't two bad tracks in a row on the album. 'Saint Is A Sinner Too' is the penultimate song featuring blues-rock artist Rocco DeLucca. The acoustic guitar is a delight to listen to, as it always is. Other than that the song doesn't offer all that much. But there is enough quality in the music here and you should like it unless you totally despise slow, soft tunes. Thankfully for it's own good, it's of just the perfect length, being 3 and a half minutes long. The next song 'We're All Gonna Die' is a complete contrast. It gives off a glam rock type of feeling to the listener. Iggy Pop has given a lot of impetus to it. It's one of the more fun-filled songs in the entire album. You would surely find the combination of guitar and vocals on the chorus sweet to listen to. It's also easy to sing along and should Slash choose to do a promotional tour for this album, I can't see why he wouldn't include this song in the set. This ends the regular version of the album. The one bonus track I have access to is 'Back From Cali', featuring Myles Kennedy for the second time. It's definitely better than his other contribution 'Starlight', and I can assure you that you wouldn't be disappointed if you choose to pick up the album with bonus tracks.

Overall, the album is filled with some delightful moments and some wonderful performances. Some of it is too mainstream for an old school rock fan's taste. But the ordering of songs has been done well, not being top or bottom heavy thus assuring that every song will get its chance to be listened to. The highlights of the album are 'Crucify The Dead', 'Beautiful Dangerous', 'By The Sword' and 'Doctor Alibi' while there are a few others that'll grow on you. I give kudos and props to Slash for putting together his solo debut and doing a brilliant job on guitar, adjusting beautifully to the various styles of vocalists he recorded the songs with. He has proved that he still has what it takes, and I'm sure you'll agree with me after you listen to the album yourself. I look forward to listening repeatedly through most of this album in the days to come and eagerly await a possible tour announcement.

To buy the CD and for more information, check out Slash's official website.

Looking for the best cable deals? Check out Cox Phoenix!