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Slash, Aerosmith, Guns-n-Roses, Saul Hudson, Chinese Democracy, Rock |
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Doc J's exclusive interview with AListRadio.net's next big DJ, A-Smooth as he shares tips, experiences & gets personal!
It’s Tuesday, June 8th…This is Doc J, representing Hear My Voice Ent, and I’m in the building with DJ A-Smooth, and we bringing you this audio interview straight from EP WORLDWIDE…Every Playa! Worldw
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Doc J's Music Insider Guide: ADVICE FROM MAJORS TO INDIES! - Part 2
SUGGESTIONS ABOUT THE BUSINESS SIDE. Whattup kiddos? During the last segment I covered advice from major label artists speaking on the type of mentality an artist should strive for, when trying to be successful. Once you get your mind right, an artist t
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Doc J's Music Insider Guide: ADVICE FROM MAJORS TO INDIES! - Part 1
A Profound Rationalization of Jesse Gissen’s April 2010 XXL article. This month XXL journalist, Jesse Gissen (who also shares my first name), briefly tou
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Every Playa! Worldwide's exclusive interview with Toronto's TOMMY G
Tommy G has to be the hardest working lyricist from Toronto, Canada’s burgeoning rap scene today. He is so on fire right now with his over 10 000 recorded songs! You easily notice that he has the confidence and energy it takes to pull these feats off
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4.5 Stars out of 6: Above-Average Album, a good CD that while still containing a few flaws, it surprisingly has a lot of quality material and replay value.
While claiming to be a Hip-Hop collector and aficionado, Rock music is something I enjoy as well. While I’m not an avid Rock listener, I’m aware enough to know that guitarist Slash is more than your “avid” Rock star. Saul Hudson (aka Slash) is best known as lead guitarist of the rebellious hard rock band Guns N’ Roses during the 1980’s and 1990’s, helping them sell over 46 million albums in the United States. In 1996, he quit the band, and in the 14 years since, has become one of the most sought after session musicians ever – working with the likes of Alice Cooper, Lenny Kravitz, Insane Clown Posse, ODB, Rihanna, Quentin Tarantino, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and others. He founded 2 side-bands, respectively Slash’s Snakepit and Velvet Revolver. Still, an illustrious solo album from Slash has never come to fruition – until now. The self-titled debut Slash is entirely produced by Slash himself and Eric Valentine, and features different vocalists on each track.
Probably the 3 biggest questions this release has caused Rock devotees to ask are:
1), What kind of front-man does Slash make?;
2), Can Slash create music that’s relevant in today’s modern market?; and
3), Is this album ultimately better than Guns-N-Rose’s (minus Slash) newest album Chinese Democracy?
The pulsing and crunchy opener “Ghost” features Cult’s Ian Astbury, and is powered by a bluesy-yet-aggressive guitar riff. The intense guitar solo reminds us this is the same guitar virtuoso we have loved for the last 20+ years, and Astbury’s vocal depth and simple chant-chorus "Kill the ghost that hides in your soul…Rock 'n' roll!" are a great introduction to those just discovering (and rediscovering) Slash. Following this is the Ozzy Ozbourne-assisted “Crucify The Dead”, that starts with an impressive arpeggio-picked melody, 70’s-inspired/power ballad riff-grinding, and thunderous clashes – giving this song a icy & epic soundscape. Equally notable is that Ozzy vocally sounds great here, and while happily repetitive, it’s catchy enough to garner radio-play. The pairing of Fergie and Slash on “Beautiful Dangerous” might sound bad, but Fergie surprisingly takes a huge leap from her usual hip-hop repertoire, sounds fierce-yet-sexy, and eerily channels an awesome high-wailing Axl Rose impression. That, combined with another high-powered guitar solo, and the slithering rock-tune/strip-club vibe makes this one of the most satisfying tracks on the album.
The 1st single “By The Sword” has a fascinatingly effective concoction of stern electric riffs with lots of character, a scorching warm, southwest-bluesy groove, and Britty-sounding pseudo-mythic vocals from Wolfmother’s Andrew Stockdale, reminiscent of Led Zepplin/Deep Purple. Musically, the instrumental track “Watch This…” sounds most like Guns-N-Rose’s early days - literally a who’s-better jam session between Foo Fighters’ drummer Dave Grohl, former Guns ’N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, and Slash (surprisingly where he shows off most on this CD). Other collaborations that do work well are – “We’re All Gonna Die” features the legendary Iggy Pop, multiple heavy guitars, and chants of “We’re all gonna die/ So let’s get high!”; while the Motorhead’s Lemmy Killmister-assisted “Doctor Alibi” is plain old good hard rock (reminding us of the UFO-classic “Doctor Doctor” in a good way) and packs enough energy to be a WWE wrestling theme.
Not all collaborations on this album worked as well though. “Promise” featuring Chris Cornell, has promising guitar solos and a catchy hook, but Slash’s arpeggio-playing this time gets oversaturated with too much production, and vocally Cornell underperforms, struggling to find a vibe or presence – sounding like a mere shadow of his Audioslave & Soundgarden days. The Kid Rock-featured “I Hold On” is very light, lyrically positive, and reflects a commercial-styling rock song aimed at the radio (and the Aerosmith-meets-Daughtry demographic). Not horrible, but plays it safe – lacking originality and feels like it takes no risk. Avenged Sevenfold’s M. Shadows-assisted “Nothing To Say” on paper looked like it would work, but it’s conservativeness, galloping bass, and speed-neo-metal mix is a little too forced, and comes across more formalistically odd, than loud and powerful. Probably my least favorite song on the CD is the bonus remake of “Paradise City”. It’s great to see Cypress Hill featured raps and chants here, but Slash’s solos sound unchanged and almost an after-thought and Fergie doesn’t fair well here covering most of the original wailing and vocals of this classic.
I think historically Slash’s solo garnered a lot of criticism both from long-time Guns-N-Roses fans and modern rock listeners even BEFORE it was recorded. Many feared it would either: lack the chemistry and energy of the original band; or feel too old-school for current audiences. I think he proves on his debut that he has a good ear for production, and still can write some mean licks, with a sense of style that outdoes most guitar players, young or old. Rewinding back to my original (3) questions in my introduction =
1) Slash was witty enough to select (mostly) effective duets that worked, so he didn’t have to PRETEND to be a front-man;
2) Sometimes yes, as Slash does a decent job combining modern swagger, with old-school bravado and formulas; and
3) Respectfully No. Slash may sell more units and get better literary reviews, but musically the under-rated Chinese Democracy takes more risks. Playing it extremely safe (and a few off-beam features) is probably all that holds this album back from being classic material. Most importantly though, after 23+ years in the music business, Slash finally can say he has a successful solo album, and at most times, his signature presence is still very much alive. |
