The late 2000s were an interesting time to be a Guns N’ Roses fan to say the least. On one hand was Axl Rose, who under the GN’R moniker released a glorified solo album and embarked on a headlining arena tour with a band of hired guns. On the other was Slash, his since estranged partner in crime, who was trying to find his way after the demise of Velvet Revolver. Between Rose and Scott Weiland, Slash had just about enough frontman drama to last a lifetime. So it came as no surprise when his next creative endeavor was a solo album, featuring a slew of all-star guests as far as the eye can see. Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Iggy Pop, Dave Grohl, his former GN’R bandmates minus Rose: It’d be easier to list the artists who weren’t on this album.
Slash was the hard rock answer to Santana’s Supernatural (1999), and just as Supernatural singlehandedly revived the career of the Chicano rock giant, Slash did the same for its namesake. This, coupled with an iconic appearance on Guitar Hero III of course, but I digress. The point is, in the late 2000s battle between Rose and Slash, it was Slash who won by a landslide. Leading up to the eventual GN’R reunion of 2016, Slash continued to capitalize on his success with subsequent solo albums, this time with an accompanying band: Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators. And because Rose seems to have zero motivation to record any new music ever again, this gives Slash an opportunity to do so in between playing football stadiums. His latest solo effort is simply titled 4 and sees the top hat clad axe slinger doing what he does best: playing no frills rock n’ roll.
The pairing of Slash and singer Myles Kennedy continues to be a match made in hard rock heaven. The combination of dirty riffs and powerhouse vocals recall the likes of Plant and Page, or Tyler and Perry. Whether it be the gutsy anthemic power of “The River is Rising”, the groove laden “Whatever Gets You By”, or melodic pop of “The Path Less Followed”, Slash and Kennedy hold down the fort, while the rest of the Conspirators keep a steady, four on the floor drive. Sonically, many of these songs sound like they could’ve been on a Velvet Revolver album. They’re lighthearted and party ready, recalling that brief moment in the 2000s when between The Darkness, Wolfmother, and the aforementioned Guitar Hero series, rock was “back”.
The highlights of 4 are when Slash and the gang deviate from this formula, and there’s three examples in particular. The first is “Spirit Love”, which boast sludgy Sabbathian riffage and blistering solo from the man himself, all while being held together by retro melodies. The closing “Fell Back to Earth” might be the greatest Robin Trower song never written, a bluesy ballad with heart and soul. However, my absolute favorite is “Call Off the Dogs”. This rapid fire punkish hard rocker is a total throwback to the Appetite for Destruction days. One can’t help but wonder what Rose would sound like singing this one. Hell, if Guns N’ Roses were able to get in the studio and record an entire album in this vein (again), it would be the album of the decade.
Simple and straightforward as it may be, 4 gets its point across and then some. In the cold depths of winter where summer seems like a lifetime away, Slash has managed to put out another album that brings to mind cold beers and good times with good friends. Perhaps if I play it loud enough, the snow outside my door will melt faster!
6 out of 10
Label: BMG
Genre: Hard Rock
For fans of: Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, Alter Bridge