Guitar god Slash has showcased his talent for lightning-fast fretboard fingering in many bands from the ego-fraught Guns ‘n’ Roses to the all-star line-up of Velvet Revolver and the guitar-centric Slash’s Snakepit. Despite a signature style that could easily stand alone, never before has the artist released a solo record, although one might have difficulties dubbing it as such. All the music was penned by the top-hatted genius himself, but each track features one or more guest musicians, everyone from the Prince of Darkness to the Duchess who, although a few modern guest artists fall short of the mark (Kid Rock, who sings on the corny “I Hold On,” for example) their flops are nowhere near as torturous as the half-assed contributions of the seasoned veterans. While Iggy Pop is a punk icon, his vocals on Slash effectively derail “We’re All Gonna Die.” Pop’s truncated lines and juvenile lyrics (“I’m in the mood / So let’s intrude / Pee on the ground / And jump around”) give the impression that he hired a fifth grader to write them. Who knew Fergie could do a kick-ass Axl-style belt?.
Surprisingly, most of the album’s gems are not the fruits of Slash’s collaborations with rock legends, but the tracks recorded with more contemporary names. The single “By the Sword” – with a Zeppelin-esque bluesy swagger – employs Wolfmother vocalist Andrew Stockdale’s sharp wails perfectly. Soundgarden’s former frontman Chris Cornell lends his deep, gravelly bark to the exquisite “Promise,” a driving electric anthem brilliantly accented with high-pitched staccato plucking, while Maroon 5 crooner Adam Levine sweetly warbles over the heartfelt ballad “Gotten”. This younger generation of singers seems to serve Slash best, adding an element of freshness to the guitarist’s well-worn style.
In fact, it seems his music might work best without any singing at all; his instrumental “Watch This,” with Dave Grohl on the drums, is a triumph that suffers from none of the schizophrenia of the rest of the album. Slash is hardly an album at all, but a hodgepodge of misguided experiments and serendipitous accidents. While the guitarist himself is in top form, he would do well to seek a more stable outlet for his craft.
2.5 Stars
