Slash – S/T (2010)
From Guns N’ Roses, to Slash’s Snake Pit, to Velvet Revolver, Slash has had one hell of a career so far. One thing is for certain, if you have lived on the planet Earth for the last few months, you have heard a lot of hype about Slash’s new solo album. I must admit that although I like Slash, I didn’t have high hopes for this CD. Usually when there is such a hodgepodge of musicians on a release like this, the end result is typically a couple of good songs a but not much more. This is NOT the case with Slash’s CD.
First and foremost, Slash plays his ass off on this CD. His guitar work is superb all the way through. It is going to take a few more plays before I fully realize the full effort that Mr. Hudson has put into this disc. If anything, I am quite impressed.
The opening song “Ghost” has made me hungry for some new Cult songs. This is no phone in performance from Ian Astbury. This is a great vocal, and an awesome song!
I love Ozzy Osbourne, and I thought his appearance might be one of the lone highlights on this CD. I would have to say that Slash’s playing on “Crucify the Dead” is better than Ozzy’s vocals. All in all, it is a decent song, but not one of my favorites.
Fergie’s appearance on this disc, took quite a few people by surprise. I am not a Black Eyed Peas fan by any means, but I have heard Fergie sing enough rock songs to know that she has some vocal talent. (Take a look on youtube and check out her rendition of Heart’s Barracuda.) With that being said, I didn’t have an issue with her appearance here. Fergie turns in a very good vocal performance, and seems to be a good match for Slash’s playing. I found “Beautiful Dangerous” surprisingly refreshing.
I have been anxiously awaiting to hear Slash’s song with Myles Kennedy for quite some time. Myles has made quite an impression on me with the last Alter Bridge album. This guy is one hell of a singer. He is also Slash’s singer on tour, so it is important that his vocals are top-notch here. I am pleased to say that both “Back to Cali” and “Starlight” are highlights on this disc. Myles Kennedy may just be one of the most under rated vocalists today.
Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell turns in a solid vocal on “Promise”. This song has single written all over it. This is going to get a lot of radio play without question.
The first single from this CD, is “By The Sword” with Wolfmother’s Andrew Stockdale. I am not sure why this song was released as the single. It is not the best song on this CD. It isn’t even close. The song almost has a Led Zeppelin like vibe. Although it is not one of my favorites, it has grown on me after a few spins. The song does work to break up the pace on the album.
Maroon 5’s Adam Levine takes the mic on the song “Gotten”. With no surprise, this song is more of a pop tune, than a rock song, but it isn’t bad. I can’t say that I have ever heard Slash play like this. His playing is rather light until about two-thirds of the way through the tune, when he breaks out with some cool bluesy licks.
Thank God for Motorhead’s Lemmy! You know exactly what you are going to get with a vocal from Lemmy. He always dishes out razor-sharp vocals with Motorhead, and while “Doctor Alibi” may not be as heavy as a Motorhead tune, he does turn in a pretty good vocal. I like this song a lot.
“Watch This” became an instrumental tune when Dave Grohl decided that he did not want to SING on Slash’s album. Grohl does play the drums on watch this, and it turns out to be a pretty cool tune. This is easily one of the heaviest songs on this CD. I don’t think Grohl’s vocals would have improved this. You can download “Watch This” for free, here!
Kid Rock offers no surprises on “I Hold On”. This song has a very southern rock like vibe to it. I am not a big Kid Rock fan either, but I must admit, Kid Rock sounds 100% better with Slash.
After hearing Avenged Sevenfold’s M. Shadows on “Nothing To Say” I thought myself, could this be the singer that Velvet Revolver needs? This is an up tempo rocker, and Slash’s playing is awesome here. I love hearing him cut loose like this! M. Shadows and Slash seems to complement each other well. Who knew this one would work? Very cool indeed!!
Out of all of the musicians on Slash’s solo CD, I am least familiar with Rocco DeLuca. Much like the song, with Adam Levine, Slash shows another side of his six string prowess. Even though this style of song is not what I would expect from Slash, it does sound like a million bucks. The production is top notch.
The album closes out with the legendary Iggy Pop signing “We’re All Gonna Die”. This is a very catchy rocker, even though it does have some silly lyrics. It is a pretty solid way to close out this album.
Overall, I am very pleased with Slash’s new album. There are a ton of great tunes on this CD on this disc, and it seems to get better with every listen. Don’t miss out on this CD! You can preview the songs at Slash’s website at this link.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Ghost (feat. Ian Astbury & Izzy Stradlin)
2. Crucify the Dead (feat. Ozzy Osbourne)
3. Beautiful Dangerous (feat. Fergie)
4. Back from Cali (feat. Myles Kennedy)
5. Promise (feat. Chris Cornell)
6. By the Sword (feat. Andrew Stockdale)
7. Gotten (feat. Adam Levine)
8. Doctor Alibi (feat. Lemmy)
9. Watch This (feat. Dave Grohl & Duff McKagan)
10. I Hold On (feat. Kid Rock)
11. Nothing to Say (feat. M. Shadows)
12. Starlight (feat. Myles Kennedy)
13. Saint is a Sinner Too (feat. Rocco DeLuca)
14. We’re All Gonna Die (feat. Iggy Pop)
Musicians:
Slash- guitars
Josh Freese – drums (except track 9 & 12)
Chris Chaney – bass (except 9)
Leonard Castro – percussion (except 1, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13)
Catalog # 5099963143324
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Hi dude,
good review of the Slash album, but I really think you underate ‘By the sword”, for me the best tune of this CD, and a good single of course. Peace.
I’ll be listening to this a lot more over the coming days to develop a fuller opinion. I’m not crazy about it at this point, but I’m not sure why. I’m hoping the songs grow on me the more I listen because I am a big fan of Slash.
AWESOME CD!! FERGIE KILLS IT ON THIS CD…IF YOU GET A CHANCE, GET THE IMPORT, THE VERSION OF PARADISE CITY ROCKS!!!
Great rundown/review on this new Slash album! I bought this CD yesterday and was saving it for myself as a reward for the end of the week… now I’m gonna “bust it loose” a lot sooner!!
Stone